164 



POPULAR OFFICIAL GUIDE. 



CASSOWARY. 



its metatarsus, is distinctly bluish, and dark. This is the 

 species of the southern half of Africa, now so successfully 

 farmed in Cape Colony for its feathers that the annual 

 crop is said to yield about $5,000,000. And it is this species 

 which is kept on the ostrich farms of California and 

 Arizona. 



The North African, or Sudan Ostrich, (S. camelus), is the 

 species first and longest known. Its neck, thighs and front 

 metatarsal scales are of a decided pink color. Originally 

 the range of this species extended from north Africa well 

 into southwestern Asia, embracing Arabia, Syria and Meso- 

 potamia. 



Generally speaking, the African Ostriches originally cov- 

 ered all the open, sandy plains of Africa ; but they never 

 inhabited the regions of dense forests. To-day their total 

 inhabited range is small, and rapidly becoming more so. It 

 is highly probable that within the life period of many per- 

 sons now living, wild Ostriches will totally disappear from 

 the earth. 



The Common Rhea, or South American Ostrich, (Rhea 

 americana), represents a group of ostriches much smaller 

 than those of Africa, and found only on the open plans of 

 Argentina and Patagonia, below the great equatorial forest 

 belt. There are three species in the group. In general 

 terms it may be stated that an adult Rhea is about two- 

 thirds the size of an adult African ostrich. It is with great 

 difficulty that these birds are reared to maturity in the 

 United States. 



