228 Procecdings of the Royal Physical Society. 
therefore was transferred to the Zoological Gardens, where it 
developed into a splendid male bird, with more of a reddish 
tinge about his coat, while the feathers are sooty grey (not 
pale grey), and darker down the centre, compared with the 
eastern birds in the same enclosure. He mated with an 
eastern bird. Result, a maximum clutch of 18 eggs, which 
unfortunately were deserted after the male had incubated 
them about fourteen days. 
It was particularly fond of the children. When they 
romped the bird would do so too, racing round the yard and 
gamboling about, occasionally “planting,” with its neck 
outstretched along the ground, as if hiding. The bird would 
devour almost anything. One day a pedlar called, was 
wroth because his basket of wares was not patronised, and 
while holding forth as to the iniquitous conduct of the 
householder, “Spottie,” as we called the Emu, because his 
juvenile plumage was decidedly spotted, stole up quietly 
from behind, and commenced throwing thimbles and trinkets 
of trifling value down his throat. 
I found some confusion of dates existed among West 
Australians as to when the Emu lays there, some saying 
autumn or winter, others affirming positively that spring is 
the time. Probably all are right, as the breeding season is 
greatly affected by the seasons of rain. The following notes 
are culled from Mr Tom Carter’s letters to me. During a 
season of distressing drought in 1891, he writes from Point 
Cloates:—“Shot an Emu (female) in very poor condition. 
Doubtless hard up for water, the nearest known pool being 
40 miles distant, and I do not know if that be dry too. The 
natives say the Emus drink the sea. A shepherd killed one 
on the beach a short time ago,” Again: “Emus are drinking 
salt-water and dying in numbers.” 
Another season, Mr Carter writes under various dates :— 
“March 20. Shot female with large clutch of eggs within 
her.” 
“Minilga, May 18. Emu eggs brought in by natives.” 
“ Gascogyne, May 25, Five eges (Emu) seen in nest.” 
Mr Douglas Cadden, who kindly forwarded me, in 1886, a 
fine clutch of 7 eggs of the Spotted Emu from the Murchison 
