+ 
90 AUSTRALIAN ZOOLOGY. 
dog, following the housekeeper with affectionate pertinacity, or 
playing with a young kangaroo and some other tame animals about 
the house with all the fun of a kitten ora puppy. It would come, 
when called, like a dog and obviously liked to have its head stroked 
with the hand. By reason of its docility, this species is the most 
suitable for exhibiting at aquariums in the seal-pond, an excavation, 
which being bricked and cemented, has pipes connected with the 
sea, for the ingress and egress of their native element. Rocks are 
placed round the pond, and perhaps a miniature cave is constructed, 
to give an idea of the natural home of the seals. They are generally 
only half-grown and do not live long in captivity. Seals may be 
taught to jump from a height into the pond, and at the same time 
seize a fish, which swings to and fro at the end of a line likea 
pendulum: to follow the attendant among the visitors, to roll them- 
selves on a barrel, and climb upon a chair, 
Emu—Dromaius nove hollandia. 
Historical notices. —Judge-Advocate Collins, writing of March, 
1788, says :—‘‘ The curiosity of the camp was excited and gratified 
for a day or two by the sight of an emu, which was shot by the 
Governor’s gamekiller. It was remarkable by every stem having 
two feathers proceeding from it. Its height was 7 feet 2 inches, and 
the flesh was very well flavoured.” ‘There is a figure of an emu in 
Phillip’s Voyage with this remark—‘‘ The one from which the plate 
was taken was shot within two miles of Sydney Cove. The skin 
being sent to England in spirits, was put into attitude, and is now 
the property of Sir Joseph Banks, to whom it was presented by 
Lord Sydney, It was called the New Holland cassowary.” 
Leichhardt, writing of his expedition to Port Essington says :—‘‘ As 
we were sitting at our dinner, a half-grown emu walked slowly up 
to us, as if curious to know what business we had in its lonely 
haunts. Unfortunately for us, the bark of our little terrier 
frightened it away.” 
Description.—Mr. Bennett published the first accurate descrip- 
tion of this bird. The emu is from 5 to 6 feet in height ; in form it 
closely resembles the ostrich, but is lower on the legs, shorter in the 
neck, and of a more thick-set and clumsy form. In size it ranks 
next to the African ostrich. The female is smaller than the male, 
and somewhat different in colour. The emu differs from its congener, 
the cassowary, for which it was at first mistaken in having the head 
completely feathered and in ues no casque. Its plumage is of a 
dull brown colour, mottled with dirty grey in some parts. At a 
distance the feathers have more the appearance of coarse hair than 
the usual plumes of birds; the barbs are all loose and separate, each 
feather appearing to be double from the elongation of the accessory 
plume—that is there are two plumes on each quill. The head and 
neck are thinly covered with short feathers, displaying the purplish 
skin around the throat and ears. The wings are so short that, 
