BIRDS OF THE WORLD 



from the condition of the fossil remains, these birds 

 must have existed until comparatively recent times. 

 The egg of ^pyornis was the largest ever known, 

 being several times the bulk of an Ostrich egg. 



The Rhea, or South American Ostrich, though 

 smaller than either the Emu or Cassowary, is yet a 

 very large bird. It is remarkable, among other 

 things, for the relatively large size of the wings, which 

 are extended when running to act as sails, though they 

 are far too feeble to raise the body off the ground. 

 The loose structure of the feathers of this bird forms 

 another bar to flight. The sexes are nearly alike in 

 colour, both being a light purplish-grey, and there is 

 little difference in the plumage of the young and the 

 fully adult bird. Like its relatives, the Emu and 

 the Cassowary, the Rhea has three toes, all placed 

 at the front of the foot. As in the case of the former 

 birds also, the male undertakes the duties of incuba- 

 tion and the care of the chicks. Several hens combine 

 and lay their eggs in one nest, so that the male is at 

 last left to brood about twenty eggs. These are 

 golden yellow in colour, in contrast to the eggs of the 

 Emu and the Cassowary, which are a beautiful green. 

 Some specimens of this bird in the Zoological Park, 

 at Washington, had the curious habit, when angry or 

 excited, of crouching upon the ground and spreading' 

 out their wings to the fullest extent. 



The natives of South America pursue the Rhea on 

 horseback and capture it by hurling the bolas — stones 

 fastened to the ends of lines which are hurled by the 

 hunter and twine around the legs of the birds, quickly 

 bringing them to the ground. See Plate 28, Fig. 158. 



