Frederick D. Welch—Remarks on some Cassowaries 175



between the wattles is only an individual variation in these birds

now in the Zoological Gardens, or whether it is a sexual difference,

and therefore constant in males and in females. But which ever

it be, there seems worth while laying some stress on the difference

in wattle in the two Casuarms violicollis now in the Gardens. It

may be not out of place here to insert that in the Two-wattled Cassowary

(Casuarius bicarunculatus ) from Aru Islands the wattles are differently

placed, being separated from each other by about an inch, and not

side by side as in C. violicollis. By August smaller bird was almost

all black. The beak was dark in both birds, a blackish-grey, as

also legs.


A position in which Cassowaries show to advantage, in my opinion,

is when they are seen by the observer side view and sitting at rest

on the toes and part of leg above as far as the next joints—these parts

of the legs being applied on to the ground, the toes being in line with

the part of leg above—the upper part of legs being vertical (as they

are in standing) and the head and neck carried erect as the bird sits

still resting itself.


In this position the shape of these peculiar birds can be observed

better than when walking. Cassowaries feed on greens such as lettuces

and such-like vegetation in captivity. Whether the present birds

will lay eggs, which are large, blue-green colour, is of course uncertain

at the date this description was penned (September, 1922). But

as other species, such as the non-wattled Westermann’s Cassowary

(Casuarius westermani) from the Island of Jobi, and the One-wattled

Cassowary ( Casuarius unia-ppendiculatus ) from New Guinea laid in

the Gardens to my knowledge in past years, previous to 1910, it is

not unlikely that the above described Violet-necked Cassowaries may

also do so. If a true pair (as I believe), it will be of interest if the

eggs prove fertile.


At middle of August, 1922, the smaller (? male) C. violicollis

frequently uttered a sound like “ boo-boo ”, the throat dilating during

such, which was obviously a voice of pleasure, being uttered when

eating. I did not myself hear the other violicollis utter it.


In concluding, a few remarks as to the geographical range of

Cassowaries may be worth adding. The deep-sea channel between



