<2&) 



THE EMA. 



f'ul to our horses. We crossed a small shallow 

 stream several times. 



Our next day's march carried us across more 

 Si,ony ground. The persons to whom we spoke, 

 said that there had been no rain, and indeed 

 this was evident. There was no grass, and the 

 country was yet parched and dreary. The 

 horses had no water at noon, for the well was 

 small, and the spring w T hich supplied it was 

 insufficient for so great a number of beasts. I 

 was thirsty in the afternoon, and therefore 

 left the comboio to follow at its usual pace, and 

 rode on accompanied by Julio ; the two dogs 

 likewise would come with us. We entered upon 

 a plain, and now for the second time I saw an 

 ema, a species of ostrich. Notwithstanding my 

 attempts to prevent them, the dogs set off after 

 it, and much against my inclination I was 

 obliged to wait until their return. The bird 

 ran from them with great velocity, flapping its 

 w r ings, but never leaving the ground. The emas 

 outstrip the fleetest horses. The colour of the 

 one which we saw was a dark gray ; its height, 

 including the neck, which was very long, was 

 about that of a man on horseback, and it had 

 that appearance at first sight, when at some 

 distance. The Sertanejos say, that when pur- 

 sued the ema spurs itself to run the faster ; that 

 the spurs or pointed bones are placed in the 



