THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
mostly, in the Emu from Kangaroo Island, of a fulvous-brown at the base, and of a 
very dark brown from the middle to the tip; finally, the feathers of the thighs, instead 
of being of a yellowish-grey colour spotted with brown, are a mixture of fulvous and 
blackish-brown. The beak and feet are very dark brown, and the naked parts seem 
to have been blue as in the Common Emu. Total length, 142 cm. ; height to back, 
65 ; bill from gape, 75 mm ; tarsus, 230 ; middle toe and claw, 130. 
(The above description is translated from the work of Milne-Edwards and 
Oustalet, loc. cit.) 
Nest and Eggs unknown. 
On December 27th, 1802, the French corvettes, “ Le Geographe ” and “ Le 
Naturaliste,” under the command of Admiral Baudin, arrived at Kangaroo 
Island, off South Australia, and stayed there till February 1st, 1803. 
During these two months the naturahsts, Peron, Mange, Lesueur, and 
Le Vilain, explored the island which Flinders had discovered and which Baudin 
called rile Deeres. They found plenty of kangaroos and Emus. 
Peron says* : — “ But of all the birds that bountiful nature has given to 
Kangaroo Island, the most useful to man are the Cassowaries ; these large birds 
appear to exist on the island in numerous flocks ; but as they are very fleet 
of foot, and we did not trouble to chase them, we were only able to capture 
three living examples.” 
Dr. Oustalet| informs us that a MS. hst of the mammals and birds procured 
on Baudin’s Expedition stiU exists in the archives of the Paris Museum. 
We are therefore certain that they arrived safely in France, as this document 
tells us they were distributed as follows : one to the Menagerie of the Museum 
and two to the Chateau of Malmaison. These latter were probably sent back 
to the Museum later on, for Vieillot speaks of several Emus of small size living 
in his time in the Menagerie of the Jardin des Plantes. 
When the birds died, after having lived in captivity about twenty 
years, they were fortunately preserved in the Museum, otherwise we should 
never have known what the Kangaroo Island Emu had been like. The late 
Dr. Oustaletf gives the following details respecting the two specimens which 
remain in the Paris Museum ; the third (a skeleton) was apparently sent as a 
present, or in exchange, to the Florence Museum. 
“ There still exists in the collection of the Museum a skeleton preserved 
in the Gallery of Comparative Anatomy, and bearing this inscription, 
erroneous in so far as locahty is concerned : — “ A. 3824 Casoar de la 
Nouvelle-Hollande, mort a la Menagerie en mai, 1822, de Tile King, par 
Peron et Lesueur, expedition du capitaine Baudin.” 
* Voyage de Decouvertes aux Terrea Auatralea, Vol. II., p. 78 (1816). 
f Notice aur Quelqvsa Eapecea d'Oiaeaux du Muaeum d'Hiatoire Natiirelle, par M. A. Milne-Edwards et M. E. 
Oustalet, p. 63 (1893). 
J Gf. Giglioli, This, pp. 1-10 (1901). 
20 
