HON. W. ROTHSCHILD ON THE GENUS CASUARIUS. 147 



feathers, which are continued in greater or lesser abundance over most parts of the 

 neck." 



The original specimen was sent to London by Dr. Bennett, and proved itself to be a 

 female by laying eggs. It was, like most Mooruks, much more gentle and tame than 

 most other Cassowaries ; and this seems to be a peculiarity of the Mooruk, which is said 

 to be often kept as a pet by the natives of New Britain. It bears itself less upright, 

 and its neck seems to be shorter than that of other Cassowaries. 



There is a very long and amusing account of its habits in captivity in Dr. Bennett's 

 ' Gatherings of a Naturalist in Australasia,' accompanied by a figure by Wolf. 



In 1863 the Mooruk hatched a nestling in the Society's Gardens. The female 

 began to lay in the middle of March, and laid half a dozen eggs at intervals of about a 

 week. The incubation, according to Dr. Sclater, lasted once 49 days, the next time 

 52 days. The young did not live more than a day. The eggs were for the first 

 time described (and figured, P. Z. S. 1858) as being of a pale olive colour with darker 

 olive tubercles, but the eggs laid in London show that they are when fresh of a bright 

 apple-green colour (see figure, P. Z. S. 1860) with darker green glazed granulations. 

 They do not differ perceptibly from the eggs of Casuarius casuarius and allies, though 

 the glazed caruncles are somewhat less continuous and not so thickly and equally 

 distributed over the entire surface of the egg. The following measurements have been 

 obtained:— 137:88, 128:81, 141 to 131:90 to 83, 150:88, 135:89, 136:90, 

 152 : 87 mm. The full fresh-laid egg weighs about 22 ounces. It will thus be seen 

 that there is hardly any difference between the eggs of C. bennetti and C. casuarius. 

 Schalow's description of the colour is not from fresh eggs — all he saw were evidently 

 faded ones. The smooth ones (see P. Z. S. 1858 and 1860) are first-laid eggs, the 

 roughly granulated ones the properly developed eggs. 



The notes of my live specimen — evidently a male — are usually a low and short 

 piping note, reminding one of that of a large chicken, and when a little excited 

 this note is louder and more plaintive. When much excited it makes its neck quite 

 short, and utters first some higher, then some lower barking sounds followed by some 

 snarling ones. 



The eggs of Casuarius bennetti in the British Museum have a very different surface, 

 hardly two being alike. They are of different shades of brown, but, needless to say, 

 that is due to exposure, as we know the fresh eggs are green like all other 

 Cassowaries' eggs. One has very few, large and highly raised glazed granulations, 

 one is almost smooth (like first-laid eggs of Cassowaries generally), one exactly 

 like the eggs of C. papuanus. They measure: — 141:89, 127:86, 146*5:90, and 

 137:90 mm. Schalow gives 137:88 and 128-5 : 8L5 mm. Ramsay gives 141 to 

 131: 90 to 83 mm. 



