394- THE LIVING ANIMALS OF THE WORLD 



l.yelhournt 



EMEU 



T^e fc£t of the old bij-d, luhich ivas standing near^ can be seen 

 behind the etrtrs 



to indulge in the luxury of personal decoration — 

 a decoration, moreover, shared equally by the 

 males and females, both sexes having the head 

 and neck most brilliantly coloured. In some 

 species all the hues of the rainbow are vividly 

 reflected. To show these colours, the feathery 

 covering, still worn by their relatives on the 

 distant continents of Africa and America, has been 

 cast off and the skin left bare. To these gorgeous 

 hues they have added yet other features, for the 

 head is surmounted in many species by a huge 

 casque, or helmet; whilst from the neck depend 

 curious fleshy lobes, or wattles, coloured in accord- 

 ance with the rest of the bare, coloured skin of 

 this region. Then, too, they have effected quite 

 a novel transformation in the quills of the wing, 

 for these project on either side of the body in a 

 series of shining black spines. Nor is this all, for over and above the energy which they 

 have to spare for personal decoration is a very large reserve to be expended in fighting. 

 The males are very pugnacious, and to give point to this pugnacity they wear a very 

 formidable weapon on the inner toe in the shape of a huge nail, which can inflict a really 

 dangerous wound. It is used in kicking, the foot being brought forwards and downwards with 

 incredible speed and great force. When wounded, these powerful birds are very dangerous 

 to approach. " On more than one occasion a wounded bird has caused a naturalist to take 

 to a tree. The sharp nail of the inner toe is a most dangerous weapon, quite equal to the 

 claw of a large kangaroo, and capable of doing quite as much execution." 



Although forest-haunting birds — wherein they differ from their allies, which are plain- 

 dwellers — the cassowaries are adepts at swimming. There is a danger that these beautiful and 

 interesting birds will slowly be exterminated by greedy and thoughtless settlers. The Australian 

 cassowary is already decreasing sadly, being persecuted for the sake of its skin, which is used 

 for rugs and doormats. 



The Emeu, though a sort of cousin of the cassowary, boasts none of its splendour; on 

 the contrary, it is a dull, dowdy-looking bird. In size, however, it is much larger than the 

 cassowary. The wings, which are exceedingly small, have numerous tiny quill-feathers — not long, 

 hard spines, as in the cassowary. When in captivity, it exhibits great curiosity ; furthermore, 

 it is swift to realise symptoms of fear 



in the faces of any visitor whom it 

 may have under inspection. Occasion- 

 ally fear turns into flight, and then, 

 thoroughly entering into the joke, the 

 emeu pursues at top speed. Needless 

 to say, hunting of this kind can only be 

 done in fairly large paddocks or parks ; 

 but emeus are frequently so kept. 



A very remarkable and quite 

 unique structure in the emeu is a 

 curious bag or pouch, formed by a 

 sort of out-pocketing of the inner 

 lining of the windpipe. Emerging 

 through a long slit caused by the 

 incompleteness of some of the rings 

 near the middle of the windpipe, the 



ehulu hy D. Lt Sm,f\ 



YOUNG 



[MWioun 



EMEUS FIVE DAYS OLD 



I ounv emeus 



just out of the shell ha-ue the legs bcaudfully spotted^ hut these spots 

 are rapidlf lost 



