194 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 



Wales having adopted for the Australian bird the name 

 of Emeu, now no longer otherwise appropriated, and 

 naturalists in general having of late years sanctioned 

 this transfer of an abandoned title, there can be no 

 objection to its retention, and no risk of any future 

 confusion in the synonymy arising from the change. 



We have already given, while treating of its type, the 

 distinctive characters of the Ostrich family: it only 

 remains therefore in this place to point out those pecu- 

 liarities by which the present bird, like the Ostrich of 

 Africa, has been thought worthy to constitute, of itself 

 alone, a separate genus. Subdividing the Ostriches 

 according to the greater or less developement of their 

 wings, M. Cuvier forms two genera: the one, contain- 

 ing the African and the South American species, in 

 which those organs, although incapable of flight, are 

 still sufficiently plumed to afford by their expansion 

 assistance in running; the other, embracing the Asiatic 

 and the Australian, in which the wings are totally 

 useless even for this latter purpose. M. Temminck, on 

 the other hand, giving more importance to the structure 

 of the bill and toes, separates first the African Ostrich, 

 as having only two toes ; then the Cassowary, as having 

 its internal toe armed with a much more powerful claw, 

 and its bill compressed laterally instead of depressed 

 from above downwards ; and leaves the Emeu and the 

 Rhea to form a genus, in which he himself admits the 

 existence of two distinct sections. Lastly, M. Vieillot 

 severs this forced union of two species, perhaps the 

 least nearly related of the wliole family, and adds to 

 the number of genera already formed a fourth for the 

 reception of the New Holland bird. 



The characters of this genus, Avhich may now be 

 regarded as firmly established, are as follovv'. It has a 

 straight bill, very much depressed towards the sides. 



