14 Wonders of the Bird World 



of which are vestigial, and are hidden below the dense 

 body-feathering. The Cassowaries iCasiiariidce) have the 

 same long " after-shaft " as the Emeus, but they show a 

 remarkable development of the wing ; this consists of a 

 few strong black shafts, resembling horny spines, which 

 have no barbs like ordinary quills, but project beyond the 

 feathers of the sides of the body, and form a visible 

 remnant of a once functional wing. All the Cassowaries are 

 more or less brightly coloured on the bare portions of the 

 head and neck, and are generally ornamented with wattles, 

 while on the top of the head there is usually a large horny 

 casque. The inner toe also is furnished with a remarkable 

 long straight claw. The Cassowaries are found in New 

 Guinea and the adjacent islands, as well as in the Cape York 

 Peninsula of Australia. 



The Rheas {Rhcidce) are exclusively South American in 

 their habitat ; they resemble the Ostriches of Africa in 

 their general appearance, and in the want of an " after- 

 shaft " to the body-feathers, but they have three toes like 

 the other Ratita. 



It may lastly be mentioned that in Madagascar there 

 have been found enormous eggs of a Ratite bird, generally 

 in the lap of the skeleton of some chief, presumably to 

 afford him sustenance during his passage to the other 

 world. These eggs have since been identified as belonging 

 to gigantic Moa-like birds {Aipyoriiithidce) which inhabited 

 Madagascar within historic times, and of which the sub- 

 fossil remains of several species have been discovered. The 

 eggs are the largest of any known bird, living or extinct. 



The Kiwis differ much from the other Ratite Birds, 

 having, like the Emeus, perfectly vestigial wings and no 

 visible tail, but they possess a hallux or hind toe. Their 

 plumage is of a hairy texture, and with their long curved 

 bill, in which the nasal opening is situated near the tip in- 

 stead of near the base, they have the appearance of gigantic 



