THE BLACK EMEU. HI 



" Van Diemen's Cassowary " the thighs were quite concealed, 

 whereas in the common species they were visible enough. To 

 sum up, the Black Emeu is distinguished from D. nova- 

 hollandice by : 



(a) Its smaller size. 



(b) The greater development of the plumage, which hangs 

 down behind almost like a train. 



(c) The colour of the plumage brownish black, the Common 

 Emeu being a much greyer bird. 



An excellent custom prevails at the Jardin des Plantes 

 Museum, for officials are stationed about to explain objects to 

 visitors ; to one of these gentlemen, indeed, I was much obliged, 

 for it was he who with evident pride pointed out to me the 

 " emeu noir," besides showing me a famous specimen of an 

 extinct Pigeon (Alectorcenas, I think), and other rarities. There 

 are, indeed, few museums where the attendants take such trouble 

 to befriend visitors, or show such an educated interest in the 

 objects under their care. 



2. The skeleton of another of Baudin's specimens was pre- 

 pared in 1822, and placed in the museum of comparative anatomy 

 connected with the Jardin des Plantes. 



3. A third example — probably the remaining Emeu of 

 Baudin's three birds — was prepared as a skeleton previous to 

 1833, and is now in the Royal Zoological Museum at Florence. 

 It is a male specimen, and probably originally came from the 

 Paris collection. 



4. At the sale of the Bullock Museum in 1812, the Linnean 

 Society purchased the " Lesser Emea " for £7 10s. Unfortu- 

 nately all trace of it has been lost. 



5. 6. A pair of "Van Diemen's Cassowary," exhibited in 

 London — perhaps in the old menagerie of Exeter 'Change — was 

 seen, as already related, by Latham ; and one of the birds is 

 grotesquely figured on plate cxxxviii. of his ' General History of 

 Birds,' published in 1822. Nothing is known of the fate of these 

 birds; perhaps their remains are still unrecognized in some pro- 

 vincial museum. 



The above list practically completes all that can be said 

 about the Black Emeu. It seems possible, however, that further 

 specimens might be found by a systematic search in the museums 



