271 



" The first specimen of this bird was procured by Mr. Thomas 

 Wall, naturalist to the late expedition commanded by Mr. Kennedy. 

 This was shot near Cape York, in one of those almost inaccessible 

 gullies which abound in that part of the Australian continent. The 

 Cassowary, when erect, stands about 5 feet high. The head is with- 

 out feathers, but covered with a blue skin, and, like the Emu, is 

 almost without wings, having mere rudiments. The body is thickly 

 covered with dark brown wiry feathers. On the head is a large pro- 

 tuberance or helmet of a bright red colour, and to the neck are 

 attached, like bells, six or eight round fleshy balls of bright blue 

 and scarlet, which give the bird a very beautiful appearance. The 

 first, and indeed the only, specimen of the Australian Cassowary was 

 unfortunately left at Weymouth Bay, and has not been recovered. 

 Mr. Wall being most anxious for its preservation had secured it in a 

 canvas bag and carried it with him to the spot where, unfortunately 

 for himself and for science, it was lost. In the ravine where the 

 bird was killed, as well as other deep and stony valleys of that 

 neighbourhood, they were seen running in companies of seven or 

 eight. On that part of the north-eastern coast, therefore, they are 

 probably plentiful, and will be met with in all the deep gullies at 

 the base of high hills. The flesh of this bird was eaten, and was 

 found to be delicious ; a single leg afforded more substantial food 

 than ten or twelve hungry men could dispose of at one meal. The 

 Cassowary possesses great strength in its legs, and makes use of this 

 strength in the same manner as the Emu. Their whole build is, 

 however, more strong and heavy than that of the latter bird. They 

 are very wary, but their presence may be easily detected by their 

 utterance of a peculiarly loud note, which is taken up and echoed 

 along the gullies ; and it would be easy to kill them with a rifle." 



The above account was furnished to the 'Illustrated Sydney 

 Herald' by Mr. Wall's brother, Mr. William Sheridan Wall, Cu- 

 rator of the Australian Museum. 



No skin of this species having yet been sent home, I am unable 

 to say if the bird be really a new species, or identical with the New 

 Guinea bird Casuarius galeatus. I trust, however, that the time is 

 not far distant when some expedition more fortunate than the one 

 to which Mr. Wall was attached may procure examples, and by 

 making us better acquainted with the bird, enable us to decide this 

 point. 



2. Description of Eleven New Species of Birds from 

 Tropical America. By Philip Ltjtley Sclater. 



(Aves, PI. CXXX.) 



1. Campylorhynchus pardtjs. 



Supra albo nigroque tessellatus, alls nigris albo regulariter trans- 

 vittatis : cauda nigra, rectricibus maculis magnis albis in 

 utroque pogonio crebro transfasciatis : nucha brunnea : pileo 



