i8 THE BOOK OF BIRDS 



encroached more and more upon his solitudes, and, even in 

 the places whither he retreated before the invader, he was 

 constantly hunted down for sport. 



Now and again his flesh has stood the hunter in good 

 stead, when food has run short. (It looks and tastes like 

 coarse beef, and that of the young bird is said to be 

 delicious.) Indeed, one of the great exploring expeditions 

 that penetrated into the unmapped regions of Australia — 

 the expedition commanded by Dr. Leichardt in 1843- 

 1848 — was only too glad to come across this bird, to 

 replenish its stock of provisions. And fortunately for 

 the brave pioneers the birds were very numerous along 

 the route they took. 



Captain Sturt, another Australian explorer, also 

 noted them, and he describes in his book how, when 

 travelling down the Murrumbidgee River, he saw two 

 Emeus in the act of swimming. 



The blacks of course eat the flesh of the Emeu ; their 

 tastes in the matter of food are not over-particular, and 

 they like it all the better when it is flavoured with the 

 pale yellow oil which is usually found in the skin. For 

 this reason they prefer to roast the bird without first 

 skinning it. These natives regard Emeu meat as an 

 honourable dish, and they will not allow the women and 

 immature lads of the tribe to partake of it. 



The eggs are also eaten. The shell is not ivory white 

 like that of the Ostrich, but of a bluish-green colour, 

 which becomes dull and unbeautiful after it is broken and 

 emptied, and exposed to the light. From nine to a dozen 

 eggs are laid, the only attempt at a " nest " being a hollow 

 roughly scooped in the sandy soil. 



Some ten or eleven weeks are needed to hatch out the 

 brood. The little Emeus, for the first few weeks of their 



