EDITORIAL GLEANINGS. 37 



which has been revised and annotated by Professor Benham in the 

 same journal of the same year. Mr. Travers, of "Wellington, wrote 

 to me in February, 1903, stating that a new Moa's egg had been 

 found, and that the price was £180." — (' The Lyttelton Times,' 

 June 11th, 1910.) 



Ehe^. — The following observations upon the Eheas of Uru- 

 guay by the Consul of the United States of America in Monte 

 Video are interesting both from a commercial and a zoological point 

 of view : — 



" The native ' Ostrich ' or Nandu [Bliea americana) of Uruguay and 

 Argentina resembles the African bird in a general way, but is smaller, 

 of a mixed grey colour, and has three toes, whereas the larger species 

 has only two. A smaller species {Bhea darwini) is found in Pata- 

 gonia, and seems to range further north ; a third species {Bhea 

 macrorhynca) being known. The males are polygamous, each having 

 five or six females, generally keeping together in flocks of from fifteen 

 to thirty, and are found roaming about the open country of Uruguay. 

 The average height is 5 ft., the weight 80 to 100 lb. each. Their 

 food consists of grass and insects. Several females lay their eggs 

 in one nest, which is merely a hole found anywhere in the ground. 

 The eggs weigh about 2 lb. each, are of a sordid greenish-yellow, and 

 are sat upon and hatched in forty days, solely by the male. The 

 Nandus are easily tamed^ and may be occasionally seen domesti- 

 cated. The wings and tail are considered great table delicacies, the 

 other portions being very greasy and of a fishy flavour. The eggs 

 also are relished. 



" To secure the feathers — which have become an important 

 article of export — the birds, at the time the plumage is full, are 

 driven into previously arranged nets by peons, who pull out the 

 feathers. They are sorted and graded and placed in their natural 

 state in parcels of three-fourths of a kilo. (1-65 lb.) each. When 

 disinfected and placed in boxes ready for export each box contains 

 100 to 200 kilos. (221 to 441 lb.) of feathers. Each bird yields about 

 600 grammes (1|- lb.) of marketable feathers, the best being valued 

 here at 4 dol. 86 c. to 6 dol. 20 c, per kilo. (2-2 lb.), the inferior grades 

 bringing from 3 dol. 10 c. to 4 dol. 65 c. During the year 1908 

 about 15,000 kilos. (33,069 lb.) were exported to France, the United 

 States, Spain, and Germany, the shipments for 1909 being nearly 

 25,000 kilos. (55,115 lb.). The export duty is based on a valuation 

 of 2 dol. 50 c. to 2 dol. 59 c. per kilo., on which the duty is 1 per 



