EATlTiE. 3 



Order RHE^. 



Three toes (second, third, and fourth). Second toe shortest. Nails strong and compressed. 



Pamily EHEID^. Eheas. 



Distinguished from the true Ostriches by certain osteologioal characters and externally by 

 the presence of three toes. Head and neck fully feathered. Tail indistinct. Wings covered 

 with long slender plumes. Body-feathers single without after shaft. They associate in small 

 flocks on the great open plains of S. America. Eggs white and laid on the ground. 



Genus RHEA. 

 Plumage grey or brown, with or without white tips. Three species. 



S. americana. 52". Legs and bill yellowish. General plumage grey. Head blackish. 

 Neck whitish with black shaft stripes ; black band on nape. Bolivia to S.E. Brazil. 



B. macrorhyncka. Similar to S. americana, but bill is longer and narrower. Colouring 

 brown. Crown nearly black. K.E. Brazil. 



JJ. darwini. 36". Legs yellow. Bill brown. General plumage brown, tipped white. 

 Patagonia to Tarapaca. 



Order CASUARII. 



Three toes (second, third, and fourth). Second shortest. Claws strong and obtuse. After 

 shaft very large. No tail. Australasia. Two families. 



Family DEOM^ID^. Emeus. 



No casque on head. The three toes (mid toe longest) have claws of similar form and nearly 

 equal size. Wings exceedingly small. Feed on fruits, roots, and herbage, and generally keep 

 in small companies. Confined to Australia. The nest is a shallow pit in the ground in which 

 from nine to thirteen green eggs are laid. 



Genus DROM.fflUS. 



Plumage with black tips, uniform grey or barred grey and white. Three species. 



D. novce hollandice. 79". Legs and bill blackish. Body-feathers uniform grey tipped 

 black. Naked skin on sides of head and throat blue. Wings exceedingly small in proportion 

 to the body and legs, and are entirely concealed under the general covering of feathers. 

 E. Australia and formerly Tasmania. 



D. ater, 55", Similar to D. novx hollandice, but neck feathers entirely black. Kangaroo 

 Island, but now extinct. 



D. irroratus. Similar to D, novce hollandice, but plumage spotted white, grey, and rufous, 

 tipped black. W. Australia. 



Family CASUAEIID^. Cassowaries. 



Horny casque or helmet. Plumage loose and hair-like. Accessory plume as long as the 

 main feather and a rudiment of a third. Wings rudimentary, with five or six rounded shafts 

 without webs. Part of the neck bare, and generally ornamented with long hanging wattles. 

 Powerful claw on second toe. Shy, solitary birds. Papuan subregion with N. Australia. Eggs 

 light green. 



Genus CASUARIUS. 



Body-feathers black. Ten species. 



C. tricarunculatus. Similar to C, galeatus, but three caruncles, one median and two on 

 sides of neck. Geelvink Bay. 



O. hicarunaidatus. Head greenish, neck blue. Two caruncles on throat purple. Body- 

 feathers blackish. N. Am Islands. 



C galeatus. 60". Head greenish, neck purple. Two caruncles close together, flesh colour. 

 Body-feathers black. Coram. 



C. australis. Similar to C. galeatus, but large. Two caruncles very large and red. N.E. 

 Australia. 



G. salvadorii. 60". Allied to 0. galeatus. Geelvink Bay. 



C beecarii. 63". Head grey-blue ; band from base of lower mandible yellow. One long 

 wattle on throat more or less divided at tip. Aru Island and S. New Guinea. 



