326 BIRDS. 
| rably from it in its anatomy, for its intestines are short, and the 
ceca small; the intermediate stomach between the crop and gizzard 
is wanting, and its cloaca is not larger in proportion than that of 
other birds. It feeds on fruit and eggs, but not grain. The female 
lays a small number of green eggs, which, like the Ostrich, she 
abandons to the solar heat. Found in different islands of the Archi- 
pelago of India. 
Cas. Nove-Hollandiea, Lath.; Voy. de Péron, Atl. part 1, pl. 
xxxvi; Vieill. Galer. pl. 226*. (The Cassowary of New Holland). 
A depressed bill; no helmet on the head; a little naked skin about 
the ear; plumage brown and better supplied; more barbs to the 
feathers; no caruncles or spurs on the wing; nails of the toes about 
equal. Its flesh resembles beef. Its speed is greater than that of 
the swiftest greyhound. The young ones are striped with brown 
and black}. 
—)~—- 
FAMILY II. 
—_—_—— 
PRESSIROSTRES. 
This family comprises genera with long legs, without a thumb, or in 
which the thumb is too short to reach the ground. The bill is moderate, 
but strong enough to penetrate the earth in search of worms; hence we 
find those species in which it is weakest frequenting meadows and newly- 
ploughed grounds to obtain that sort of food with more facility. Such as 
have stronger bills also feed on herbs, grain, &c. 
. ® This constitutes the genus Emou, or Dromatus of Vieillot. 
7+ N.B. I cannot place here species so little known, and even so badly authenti- 
cated, as those which form the genus Dipus of Linnzus. 
The first, or the Didus ineptus, is only known from a description drawn up by the 
first Dutch navigators, and given by Clusius, Exot., p. 99, and from an oil painting 
of the same period, copied by Edwards, pl. 294: for the description of Herbert is 
puerile, and all others are copied from Clusius and Edwards. It seems that the spe- 
cies has completely disappeared, nothing remaining of it at the present day but a foot 
preserved in the British Museum (Shaw, Nat. Mise. pl. 143), and a head in very bad 
condition in the Ashmolean Museum of Oxford (Id. Ib. pl. 166). The bill bears some 
resemblance to that of the Penguins, and the foot, if it were palmated, would be like 
that of the Aptenodytes. 
The second species, Didus solitarius, rests on the bare testimony of Leguat, Voy. I, 
p- 98, a man who has disfigured the very best known animals, such as the Hippopo- 
tamus and the Lamantin. 
The third, Didus nazaremus, is only known from the account of Frangois Cauche, 
who considers it to be the same as the D. ineptus, giving it however but three toes, 
while all the others allow the former to possess four. No one has been able to obtain 
a sight of any of these birds since the time of the above-named travellers. 
Of all birds, that which has its wings the most completely reduced to a simple vestige, 
is the Apteryx, represented by Shaw, Nat. Mise. 1055 and 1057. Its general figure is 
that of an Aptenodytes, its size that of a Goose. The feet would be those of the 
former, were they not described as wanting the web. The bill is very long, slender, 
marked with a longitudinal groove on each side, and having a membrane at base. 
The wing is reduced to a little stump, terminated by a hook. From New Holland. 
