Iii captivity, especially when taken young, the Knin readily becomes (piitu tame; in fact, it 

 often proves a nuisance, for its inquisitiveness is boundless. Nothing delicate or breakable is safe; it will 

 squeeze through every possible opening, appearing where least wanted, and no correction can teach it the 

 good manners of a domestic pet. Its appetite is insatiable, and no object, of whatever nature, which 

 it can swallow, is passed over by this oinnivc irons gourmand. When hunted, it takes a fairly good 

 horse and rider to run it down, such are its speed and powers of doubling. 



The Emu is monogamous, and pairs with great constancy. 



Usually the eggs are found in numbers ranging from nine to thirteen in one nest. They 

 are of a rich dark-green, and are laid in a cavity scooped in the sand. Each egg measures about 

 inches long by •'!,' inches in breadth. The male takes a large share in the task of incubation. 



The dark blown plumage is so short on the neck and head as to leave the deep bluish shade 

 of the skin clearly visible. The bill and legs are a dee}) ashen-grey ; the exposed skin of the thighs 

 is of the same shade as that of the neck and head. 



The sexes are the same in colouring, but the female is slightly smaller than the male. 



The young are beautifully marked, having distinct brown stripes on a grey ground-colour. On 

 the head, the bars break up into numerous irregular spots. 



A second species of the Emu is usually classified under the name of the Dromaius Irroratus, 

 or Spotted Emu. Gould was of opinion, from specimens he had seen, that this was a distinct species, 

 and he classified it accordingly, as being the representative of the genus in the southern and western 

 parts of Australia, thus distinguishing it from the Dromaius Novtv-Hollandice of the more eastern parts. 

 A specimen of the former is to be seen in the Museum at Adelaide. 



After long study and observation, however, the Author is unwilling to divide the class into 

 two separate species. Bearing in mind the apparently endless varieties of markings to be seen in the 

 plumage of the Emu, he is of opinion that the fact of a distinguishing species is not fully proved. 

 He would suggest that inquirers should look at the collection of Emus in any museum, and note the 

 wide variations in their markings, no two specimens being quite similar. 



Habitats : Unfrequented portions of Tasmania, and over all the interior of Australia where 

 not closely settled. 



