604 BIRDS OF INDIA. 



A second species is supposed to exist, S. epoasticus, Bonap., 

 from the very different egg brought occasionally. Vide J. A. S. 

 XXVIII. 282. 



The American Ostriches, of which two species are known, 

 Rhea americana, and R. Darwinii, differ from the African birds 

 in having three toes, the nails of which are nearly equal ; and 

 the head and neck are clad with feathers. The males perform 

 the duties of incubation. 



The Emeus of New Holland have also three toes. The body 

 plumage resembles hairs, lying down on each side of the body 

 from a central line or parting. The wings are still more rudi- 

 mentary than in the Ostriches. The accessory plume of the 

 feathers is nearly as large as the feather, so that two stems appear 

 to arise from the same quill. They have neither casque on the 

 head, nor naked orbits, nor caruncles. Two species are known, 

 Dromains novae Hollandice, and D. ater. The eggs are fine dark 

 blue green. 



The Cassowaries inhabit various islands in the Eastern Archi- 

 pelago, and four species are now recorded. The wings consist of a 

 few cylindrical, hard shafts, without any barbs ; the claw on the 

 inner toe is much larger than the others, and curved (as in Grus 

 and other birds) ; the head and neck are naked, and are furnished 

 with wattles of a bright color, generally blue and red. The body 

 plumage is still more hair-like than that of the Emeus; the 

 supplementary plume is very large, and there is a rudiment even 

 of a third. The intestinal canal is short, the cocca small, and there 

 is no proventriculus. It has been remarked that Emeus and 

 Cassowaries resemble Bustards in their anatomy, whilst Ostriches 

 and Rhea are more like Gallinaceous birds. Owen in his lectures 

 states that Cassowaries are modified Coots, and Parker in his 

 paper already alluded to, says that he feels certain that there is 

 a near relationship between the Kail-tribe and the Ostriches ; but 

 that it is more philosophical to say that a Coot is a modified 

 Cassowary. The best known species is Casuarius galeatus of New 

 Guinea. The other species are C. Bennettii, Gould, the 3Iooruk; 

 C. uni-appmdiculat.us, Blyth ; and C. australis, Gould. The eggs 

 of the Cassowaries are pale greenish. 



