8314 



Birds. 



acquaintance with either of these phenomena, I apprehend, must be 

 very rare in their native country. 



From the moment the birds came into my possession, I put myself 

 in communication with the Zoological Gardens, Regent's Park, in 

 order to learn what I could of their habits, food and treatment : and 

 here let me acknowledge the more than readiness with which all my 

 enquiries were constantly met, and the effective advice and assistance 

 that was always rendered, both by the intelligent keeper, Benjamin 

 Misselbrook, and the indefatigable superintendent, Mr. A. D. Bartlett, 

 at all times, both personally and by correspondence. The staple food 

 is dog-biscuit, broken up into moderately small pieces, as the emeu 

 has no means of mastication or fracturing, varied with bread, boiled 

 rice, Indian corn occasionally, with a large proportion of chopped-up 

 vegetables, such as lettuce and cabbage, greatly preferring the former, 

 or, in its deficiency, any other succulent, milky sort will do, as dande- 

 lion, sOw-thistle, &c. They are also very fond of fruit of any kind, in any 

 condition of maturity, from the smallest apples that begin to fall, green 

 gooseberries, unripe or ripe strawberries or raspberries, up to grapes 

 or even wall-fruit, so that it is not decayed, about which they are very 

 particular. The apple-parings are all saved for them in winter time. 

 They feed likewise considerably on grass, some kinds of leaves, and 

 will pick up green acorns ; so that their bill of fare offers no anxiety. 

 The young birds are fed on meal, mixed with hard boiled egg and 

 vegetables chopped fine, together made into a ball with water or milk, 

 dry enough to crumble. Besides their adult stock they had at that 

 time one young one in the Gardens, hatched by means of an incubator," 

 and nursed by a great Cochin hen. It was amusing to see the tall 

 long-legged bantling trying to nestle to its strange foster-mother. The 

 poor little thing lived to about four months, and then died of 

 diphtheria. The young emeus are full-fledged and striped longi- 

 tudinally, and nestle with their heads only beneath the parent bird. 



From the information of the captain, my birds were either in their 

 fifth or sixth year at the time of their arrival, and of course at full 

 maturity. They appeared to prosper well, and improved in feather 

 considerably. They became also much more gentle in manners, and 

 at times very playful, with the most grotesque attitudes in the way of 

 dancing, sometimes performing a regular pirouette, with their tall 

 figures, and feathers acting as crinoline. 



The severity of the winter was passing, when one morning, the 9th of 

 February, 1861, on a heap of litter just outside the emeu-house, and 

 slightly concealed by the straw being drawn over, was discovered an egg. 



