366 AVES. 
its intestines are short, and the czca 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 Archipelago 
of India. 
Cas. Novx-Hollandiz, Lath.; Voy. de Péron, Atl. part 1, pl. 
xxxvi; Viecill. Galer. pl. 226.(1) (The Cassowary of New Hol- 
land.) A depressed beak; no helmet on the head; a little naked 
skin about the ear; plumage brown and more of it; 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. (2) . 
FAMILY Il. © 0% 
PRESSIROSTRES. Pes 
; 
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 beaks, also feed on herbs, grain, &c. 
(1) This constitutes the genus Emov, or Dromatvs of Vieillot. 
(2) N.B. I cannot allow room in this work for species so little known, and even 
so poorly authenticated, as those which form the genus Dipvs 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 species has completely disappeared, nothing remaining of it at the present 
day but a foot preserved in the British Museum (Shaw, Nat. Misc. pl. 143), and a 
head in very bad condition possessed by the Asmolean Museum of Oxford (Id. Ib. 
pl. 166.) The beak 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 well known animals, such as the Hippo- 
potamus and the Lamantin. 
The third, Didus nazaremus, is only known from the account of Francois 
