No. YII. 



The following is an abstract of the paper read by Profes- 

 sor Harrison on the 26th of January, 1846. {See page 184). 

 It is generally known that Baron Cuvier, in the " Regne 

 Animale," mentions two distinct species of Cassowary, one, 

 the Galeated, or the Struthio Casouarius, found in several of 

 the islands of the Indian Archipelago ; the other, the Casoua- 

 rius (or Dromaius) Novae Hollandise. 



The first, or galeated cassowary, has the bill compressed 

 laterally, the Jiead surmounted with a bony prominence, co- 

 vered with a corneous substance ; the skin of the head and 

 top of the neck naked, tinted with a sky-blue and flame colour, 

 with pendant caruncles, like those of the turkey ; the wings 

 have stiff feathers, without barbs, and serve as weapons in 

 fighting ; the claw of the internal toe is much the strongest. 

 Next to the ostrich, this is the largest bird in nature, from 

 which, however, it differs in internal organization, the intes- 

 tines being short, and the cseca and cloaca small, and no in- 

 termediate stomach between the crop and gizzard ; it lives on 

 fruit and eggs, but not on grain. Its eggs are of a green 

 colour. The second, or New Holland cassowary, has the 

 bill depressed, no helmet on the head, naked round the ear 

 only; the plumage is brown, thicker, and more bearded; no 

 caruncles or alar spines, and the claws are nearly equal. On 

 its internal organization the Baron makes no remark, neither 

 does he allude to the peculiar condition of the trachea, which 

 forms a striking discriminating character between it and the 

 galeated bird. Dr. Knox, the distinguished anatomist and 

 lecturer in Edinburgh, in an extremely interesting paper, 

 VOL. III. f 



