CASUARIUS BENNETTI, Gould . 
Bennett’s Cassowary. 
Casuarius Bennetti, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., part xxv. p. 269, pi. 129. — Gray in Proc. of Zool. Soc., part. xxvi. 
p. 271, pi. 144. — Dr. Bennett in Proc. of Zool. Soc., part xxvii. p. 32. 
Mooruk, Aborigines of New Britain. 
Who would have supposed the former existence of an extensive group of Struthious birds of great 
magnitude and comprising many species ? and what naturalist would have imagined that so much 
of the bony structures of these birds would have been brought to light — that not only their generic but 
their specific characters may be accurately described, and even their entire skeletons mounted in our 
museums ? Yet these things have been realized within the last few years, the indefatigable zeal 
and careful study of an Owen having enabled him to determine and arrange the semi-fossilized remains 
of numerous species of a great family of birds which formerly existed on our globe, and of which some 
few remain to testify as to the character of their plumage and their economy of life. It is a living repre- 
sentative of this almost extinct group that forms the subject of the present paper, and the discovery 
of which must be hailed with interest, tending as it does to throw a light on the history of those huge 
birds of remote antiquity — the Dinorms and its allies. Professor Owen considers this new bird and the 
Cassowary ( Casuarius galeatus') to be the most nearly allied living types of his genus Palapteryx ; and if this 
opinion he correct, we may infer that the habits and economy, as well as the kind of plumage and the 
character of country inhabited by the extinct birds, were very similar. I have always considered 
the Cassowary to belong to a totally different group to the Ostriches, which are adapted for roaming over 
vast plains and open country during the day-time, and to feed upon berries, fruits, mollusks and small 
animals generally ; while the Cassowary, the Mooruk, and the Apteryx are partially or wholly nocturnal, living 
reclusely in the gullies and humid parts of dense forests, feeding upon the roots of ferns and other plants 
peculiar to such situations. The hair-like character of their feathers bespeak these habits and mode of 
life, as much as the plumes of the Ostriches do their adaptation for open plains and savannahs. Having- 
premised thus much, I now proceed to state that it has been a source of much gratification to myself, that 
I have been enabled, through the kindness of Dr. Bennett of Sydney, further to add to our knowledge of this 
group by making known the existence of an entirely new species of Casuarius ; I mention my gratification, 
because I consider this to be one of the most important additions to ornithology I have ever had the good 
fortune to bring before the notice of the scientific world. It is true that the same remark might be made 
with regard to Balceniceps, the Menura Alberti, and many other extraordinary birds I have had the pleasure of 
naming ; but the present species and the Apteryx Oweni are members of a nearly extinct family of birds, the 
remnants of a group which played an important part in the economy of nature in periods long gone by. How 
much, then, does science owe to Dr. Bennett for having secured and sent this bird to London ! and how much 
does the Society in whose possession this valuable donation is deposited, owe to him for his liberality ! Three 
examples of this fine bird, a splendid adult male and two younger specimens, grace the Gardens of the 
Zoological Society of London, where they live side by side with the Ostrich, the Rhea, the Emeu, the 
Apteryx, and its allied congener, the Cassowary. All are in good health ; and such a display of great 
Struthious birds was never before seen, and probably never will be again, and ought alone to be a sufficient 
attraction for visitors to this justly popular establishment. 
On the arrival of the first Mooruk, I was somewhat sceptical as to its being specifically distinct from the 
common Cassowary ; but as the bird increased in size, and the helmet became more developed, this suspi- 
cion was dispelled from my mind ; and now that the bird is fully adult, it is apparent that no two species can 
be more distinct. Compared with the Cassowary, the Mooruk is a smaller and shorter bird, and has much 
thicker legs ; and the helmet, instead of being in the form of an elevated casque with a short rounded 
ridge, rises high at the base, and then branches out into two overhanging lobes, the horny part which unites 
them being lowest in the centre — the back part of this elevated double crest being flat and rising rather 
obliquely from the head near the occiput. This feature has been carefully depicted in the accompanying 
Plate, which represents the head of the size of life ; its form will therefore be more clearly perceived by a 
reference to the Plate than by any description, however accurate and minute. The colouring of the 
Mooruk, when it first arrived in England, was rufous mixed with black on the back and under part of the 
body, and raven-black about the neck and breast ; the loose wavy skin of the neck was beautifully coloured 
with iridescent tints of bluish purple, pink, and an occasional shade of green ; and the feet and legs were 
of a pale ash-colour. The body has now become generally darker, the bare skin of the fore part 
of the neck of a more uniform smalt blue, and the legs of a somewhat darker tint. I am much indebted 
to my friend, G. F. Angas, Esq., of Sydney, for a very accurate drawing of the young state of this 
bird ; and I cannot too strongly express my thanks to him for the great trouble he has taken in making 
these correct delineations, as well as for several others that have reached me : it is pleasing to find a 
gentleman who has the power, willing to aid science in this way. 
Dr. Bennett, after whom I have named the bird as a just compliment to one who has ever manifested the 
greatest love for Natural History, besides presenting the living birds to the Zoological Society, has enriched 
the volumes of their “Proceedings” with some interesting details as to the habits of the bird while living in 
