Part 42

In Patagonia, at the Bay of San Blas, and at Port Valdes, Mr. King several times saw Nandus swimming from island to island, a distance of about two hundred yards; they ran into the water, both when driven and of their own accord, and swam very slowly, with their necks extended a little forward, only a small part of their bodies appearing above the water. Mr. Darwin likewise on two occasions observed some of these Ostriches swimming across the Santa Cruz River, where it was about four hundred yards wide and its course rapid. The note of the male is described as being deep-toned and hissing, and so peculiar as rather to resemble the noise of some wild beast than the voice of any bird. At Bahia Blanca, in the months of September and October, the eggs of the Nandu were found in extraordinary numbers all over the country. They either lie scattered singly--in which case they are never hatched and are called by the Spaniards _huachos_--or they are collected together into a shallow excavation which forms the nest. Out of four nests which Mr. Darwin saw, three contained twenty-two eggs each, and the fourth twenty-seven. In one day's hunting on horseback sixty-four eggs were found; forty-four of these were in two nests, and the remaining twenty were scattered huachos. The Gauchos unanimously affirm--and there is no reason to doubt their statement--that the male bird alone hatches the eggs, and for some time afterwards accompanies the young. The male when on the nest lies very close, and may almost be ridden over. It is asserted that at such times they are occasionally very fierce and even dangerous, and that they have been known to attack a man on horseback by trying to kick and leap on him. There can be little doubt that several females deposit their eggs in common; indeed, the Gauchos, says Darwin, "unanimously assert that four or five have been watched and actually seen to go, in the middle of the day, one after another to the same nest."

A family party of Nandus generally consists of a male and from five to seven females, who seem to have possession of a space of ground, from which all intruders in the shape of rivals are resolutely excluded; but when the breeding season is over, several of these families associate together, and it is not an uncommon occurrence to see sixty of them forming one large flock, but they seldom wander very far from their native place. In the autumn they seem to prefer the neighbourhood of streams and marshy ground, where they find fruit and berries, or they wander among the thistles first introduced by the Spaniards, but now extending over thousands of miles of fertile soil; while in the winter time they may be seen associating with cattle, sharing with them the long fine grass.

In swiftness the Nandu is but little behind its African representative. It can easily outrun and tire the best horse, not only by the swiftness of its pace, but by the wonderful skill with which it makes all sorts of windings and short cuts. The length of its usual step is stated by Böcking to be from twenty to four-and-twenty inches. When it raises its outstretched wings but still goes leisurely along, its stride is about three feet and a half; but if pursued and going at full speed each step covers at least five feet, and the movements of its legs are so rapid that it is impossible to count its footsteps. Often during the chase it will suddenly dart off from its direct course, with one wing elevated and the other depressed, at an angle of twenty-five or thirty degrees, and then with fierce speed resume its former direction, springing over ditches or fissures twenty feet across with the utmost ease; but it carefully avoids steep ascents, as over such it makes its way with difficulty.

During the rainy season these birds live principally upon clover, combined with such insects as happen to fall in their way. At a later period they frequent the plains where cattle graze, and feed almost exclusively upon grass; they show, nevertheless, a decided preference for the more nutritious vegetables imported from Europe, and often do considerable damage in the kitchen gardens of the settlers. Their presence, however, is by no means devoid of utility. One of their favourite articles of food consists of the unripe seeds of a plant somewhat resembling the burdock, which, owing to its abundance in some localities, is a serious detriment to the cattle-breeder, seeing that the burrs which it produces get entangled in the manes and tails of horses, or the fleeces of sheep, in which latter case they render the wool absolutely useless, by causing it to become as it were felted into inextricable knots and tangles, and indeed not unfrequently leading to the death of the animal, by producing sores that soon swarm with maggots, and occasion intolerable irritation. Whoever has examined the contents of the stomach of a Nandu, in the month of December, will have some idea of the quantity of these seeds that are thus devoured, and acknowledge that, were it only on account of the services thus rendered to the farmer, the Nandus deserve all the protection which they already enjoy at the hands of intelligent cattle-breeders. At all times of the year, and at all ages, they feed indiscriminately on a great variety of insects, and as the Guachos assert, also upon snakes and other reptiles. Like our Barn-door Fowls, they swallow quantities of small stones to facilitate the process of digestion. They drink but seldom, the moisture derived from dew and rain appearing to satisfy their ordinary wants; nevertheless, when they come to a pond, they may be seen to indulge in a draught, very much after the manner of chickens, scooping up the water with their beaks, and then holding their necks outstretched, and thus allowing it to trickle down their throats.

In the beginning of spring, which in the southern hemisphere is about the month of October, those males which have attained the age of two years, collect around them a seraglio of hen-birds, varying in number from three to seven or more, and immediately begin to drive all rivals from their vicinity, by formidable blows inflicted with their beak and wings. They then at once begin their courtship, by performing, apparently for the gratification of their mates, a remarkable sort of dance; with wings outspread and trailing upon the ground, they stalk hither and thither, or suddenly breaking into a run, dart forward with great speed, beating the air with their wings, and then checking their career, strut about, bowing to the female with ludicrous assumption of dignity, and recommence the same performance. During this exhibition the male invariably gives utterance to a loud bellowing noise, and manifests every indication of being in a state of great excitement. When in their native wilds, the courage and pugnacity which they display at this season is of course expended on their rivals, but when in captivity their anger seems to extend to intruders of every description. Visitors and even their keepers must beware of the formidable blows inflicted with their hard beaks, or sometimes with their feet, as they kick much in the same manner as the African Ostrich. For a very interesting account of the proceedings of these birds during incubation we are indebted to Bodinus. In the case of a pair which bred in the Zoological Gardens of Cologne, he observed that the male, upon whom alone devolves the duty of preparing a nest, did so by continually moving about while sitting in a particular spot, until at length, without any scratching or removal of the soil, a cavity was formed in which the nest, consisting of a little dried grass, roughly arranged, was placed. The female takes no share whatever in the preparation of the nest. In the Pampas, before brooding time, which begins there about the middle of December, solitary eggs, called by the natives "foundlings," are everywhere to be met with; they seem to be produced by females obliged to lay before the male has been able to make preparations for their reception. The nest is generally a shallow excavation in some dry spot of ground beyond the reach of inundation, and usually so placed as to be concealed by thistles and long grass. A very favourable locality is in holes made by the wild cattle, who use them as a kind of dust-bed, wherein they shelter themselves against the attacks of insects, until they have worn them so deep as to be larger than convenient for themselves, but exactly suited to the requirements of the male Nandu. Should, however, no such ready-made excavation present itself, the bird must perforce undertake the necessary labour of clearing a space of ground of the overgrowing vegetation, lining it scantily with dried grass, a ring of which material always surrounds the margin, and thus preparing it for the reception of the eggs. The number of eggs laid by each female has been a subject of much dispute. Azara relates that at times seventy or eighty eggs have been found in a single nest, while Darwin gives forty or fifty as the greatest number. Böcking tells us, on the authority of the Guachos, that fifty eggs have been met with, although he himself never saw more than twenty-three, and gives from thirteen to seventeen as an average number from all the nests he examined. The eggs themselves appear to be very variable in size, some being not much larger than those of a Goose, while others measure five inches in length. Around the nest, in a space extending from its margin to a distance of fifty paces, "foundlings" are always to be met with, and these appear to be fresher than the eggs within the nest. The colour of the eggs is a dull yellowish white, marked with small, greenish yellow dots, placed around the large pores. If exposed to the sun, these colours rapidly fade, insomuch that after a week's exposure the egg-shells are all snow-white.

As soon as the nest has received its full complement, the male alone undertakes the duties of incubation, the hens all retiring to a distance; nevertheless, they generally keep together, and always remain within the territory previously claimed by the master of the family. During the night, and until the morning dew has been dried up, the male never leaves his place upon the nest, but in the daytime he allows himself greater liberty, and may be seen feeding at irregular intervals, that depend upon the brightness of the sky or the temperature of the weather. Towards the commencement of incubation the male Nandu appears rather careless of his charge, and upon the slightest alarm will leave his nest until the danger is past; but at a later period he broods very assiduously, and will sometimes sit still till he is nearly ridden over, springing up suddenly, immediately before the unwary traveller, often frightening a spirited horse, and putting his rider in great danger. Neither does the brood always escape the consequences of such precipitancy, some of the eggs being frequently trodden upon and crushed, or kicked out of the nest by the frantic bird. The affection of the male Nandu for his offspring is, however, more conspicuously visible when a traveller approaches his brooding-place in a more leisurely manner. On such occasions the anxious parent hastens to meet the intruder, with wings outspread and ruffled feathers, limping slowly along and staggering in a zigzag course, using every endeavour to divert the attention of the stranger from the real cause of anxiety.

Although the sitting Nandu is by no means fond of visitors, he will not desert the eggs so long as his nest is not actually disturbed, and has even been known to continue sitting upon the residue after some of the eggs have been taken away. In South America the young Nandus make their appearance from the egg-shell about the beginning of February. Their growth is surprisingly rapid, insomuch, indeed, that chicks of a fortnight old are already a foot and a half high. Even on the third or fourth day after they are hatched it would be difficult for a man to overtake them in running, were it not that when hotly pursued, young birds have a habit of falling flat upon the ground, where they easily escape observation. For about five weeks they follow their father only, but the female parents gradually join the party until the family is complete. By the arrival of autumn, _i.e._, in April or May, the young birds have exchanged their first clothing of down for a suit of dirty, yellowish grey feathers.

In addition to the all-reaching destructiveness of mankind, the great enemy to the Nandus is fire. About the time when these birds are beginning to breed, the herdsmen are in the habit of taking advantage of a high wind, for the purpose of burning the long dry grass upon the vast steppes or prairies, in order to clear them from the last year's straw. Before such a fire as is thus kindled all living beings can only take refuge in the low-lying and wettest portions of the country, and innumerable animals suffer a cruel death. On these occasions the inhabitants of the district collect as a great prize all the Nandus' eggs upon which they can lay their hands. One of these eggs indeed is worth about fifteen Hens' eggs, and is with the natives a very favourite dish. To prepare them, the narrow end is broken open, the white, which is said to have a disagreeable taste, is thrown away, and then having added a little butter, salt, and pepper, the yolk is cooked by being stirred over the fire, using the egg-shell as a saucepan. To boil one of these eggs hard in European fashion, requires forty minutes. They are excellent for all culinary purposes, but unfortunately will not keep. The flesh of the Nandu much resembles horse-flesh in its colour, nevertheless the old birds are a favourite dish among the Indians, while the young are not distasteful even to European palates; they likewise afford a rich supply of oily, semi-fluid fat, which while fresh is much esteemed, and used like butter. Unfortunately, however, it soon becomes rancid, and is then only useful for softening leather; and even for this purpose, in a country so abounding in hides, it is not of much value. Out of the skin covering the neck the Gauchos are in the habit of manufacturing small bags, suitable for many domestic articles, while from the flexible shafts of the feathers, boys construct springes with which they catch water-fowl. The full-grown feathers of the mature bird are likewise used as ornaments to the harness of horses, or are woven into very beautiful rugs, the patterns of which are extremely elegant and varied. Feathers of inferior value are made into bunches for dusting furniture, while the best and largest afford plumes scarcely inferior to those of the Ostrich.

Böcking estimates the duration of the life of the Nandu at fourteen or fifteen years, and believes that many of them die from sheer old age, inasmuch as he has observed individuals (especially in the winter season) at the point of death, but exhibiting no external injury or internal lesion to account for their condition.

With the exception of mankind, these gigantic and swift-footed birds indeed might seem to enjoy an immunity from the attacks of any ordinary assailants. Sometimes the adult may be surprised by a prowling jaguar, or an Eagle may swoop upon the young, and by chance carry off a victim, but such accidents would seem to be of rare occurrence. Perhaps among the most inveterate of their foes are the Spurred Lapwings (_Hoplopterus spinosus_), whose animosity against these giants of the prairie is positively ludicrous. No sooner does a Nandu approach a pair of these little birds than they set up an intolerable screeching, like Crows on the appearance of a Hawk; they strike at him with their wings, and by the pertinacity of their attacks generally make him glad to get away from such contemptible assailants, who valorously follow him for a little distance, and return with every demonstration of triumph.

The chase of the Rhea is a very favourite exercise. The Indians and the Gauchos hunt them on horseback, kill them with the _bolas_, or course them with dogs bred for the purpose; indulging in this sport not so much for the sake of the booty as for the purpose of testing the swiftness and endurance of their noble horses, and their own skill in throwing the bolas or the lasso. When a hunting party is announced, numerous well-mounted horsemen assemble, and taking advantage of the wind, approach the birds as closely as they can, at a slow pace, until the moment when the Nandus begin to run, which is the signal for man and horse to exert themselves to the uttermost, and at length an individual is singled out and separated from the flock as the special object of attack. In spite of the swiftness of the poor bird, the Gauchos are soon close at his heels, and the horseman who happens to gain the left side throws his bolas at the devoted victim, which an instant afterwards falls to the ground a mere shapeless mass of feathers, and rolls over killed by the momentum of its own career.

Should the first horseman miss his aim another immediately takes his place, and launches from his hand the terrible weapon. This is repeated by successive riders, until the game is either brought down, or succeeds in reaching some swamp, where the horses are unable to follow.

The name of Nandu is an imitation of the cry of the male during the breeding season. After pairing-time is over the tones are very different, and not easily described. In the neighbourhood of the peaceful settlers who leave them undisturbed, the Nandus become so tame and trustful, that they may be seen associating with tethered horses and milch-cows; indeed, they may be looked upon as half domesticated, as they carelessly graze among the cattle, and scarcely stir out of the way either of dogs or man. Nevertheless, no sooner do they see the Gaucho, who hunts them, than away they go, using every effort to escape, and displaying considerable cunning in avoiding the observation of their enemy. The appearance of a party of Indians puts them into an indescribable state of alarm; they will fly before them for hours together, and even horses and herds of cattle seem to share their dismay and accompany their flight; but if the hunter, creeping upon his hands against the wind, manages to get near a flock of Nandus and, lying flat down, waves a pocket-handkerchief, the curiosity of the birds is at once excited and gradually gets the better of their fear, until the whole flock with their male leader at their head, with outstretched neck approaches within gunshot of their wily enemy. To kill the Nandu with a gun, however, requires a good marksman, as these birds are hard to kill, and will often run a long way after receiving a ball. Should a flock of them be beguiled in the way we have just described and one of them fall and begin to struggle, the rest immediately come to its assistance with most ridiculous gestures, as if they had St. Vitus' dance in their legs and wings, and thus the sportsman is enabled to have a second shot. The report of the gun, moreover, does not frighten them, for if it misses they will come still nearer, as if to satisfy themselves as to what may be the meaning of so much noise. A wounded Nandu follows his companions as far as he can, and when exhausted, steps on one side and is left to his fate. In South America these birds are everywhere to be seen in a state of semi-domestication, having been caught when young, and are allowed to run about without restraint; they seem so much attached to the locality where they have been reared, that towards evening they always come home of their own accord. The Nandu is very generally met with in European zoological gardens, where it requires less attention than any others of the Ostrich race, and provided it has enough to eat, is content with the simplest diet. Moreover, it seems quite able to bear the vicissitudes of climate, and might at least become an ornament to our parks, even were it useless for any other purpose.

THE LONG-BILLED NANDU.

The LONG-BILLED NANDU (_Rhea macrorhyncha_) is distinguished from the species above described by its dark brown plumage, which on the lower neck is nearly black, and on the upper neck of a whitish grey colour.

THE DWARF NANDU.

The DWARF NANDU (_Rhea Darwinii_) is smaller than the preceding; its plumage is principally of a light brownish grey, each feather being enlivened by a whitish edge. This species, which is named after Mr. Darwin, was first heard of by him in North Patagonia, where it is called the _avestruy petise_. The eggs were well known to the Indians, who described them as being a little smaller than those of the Common Rhea, but of a slightly different form, and of a blue tinge. Several of these birds were met with at Santa Cruz in parties of four or five, or in pairs. Unlike the more northern species, they did not spread their wings when starting at full speed.

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The EMUS (_Dromæus_), a group of strange and interesting birds inhabiting Australia, form as it were the connecting link between the Ostrich and the Cassowary, nearly resembling the former in their general appearance, but differing from it in the comparative shortness of their legs and neck, and the less prominent development of the hinder parts of the body. The beak is straight, compressed at its sides, round at its extremity, and furnished with a ridge at its culmen; the large nostrils are covered with a skin and situated in the centre of the bill. The wings and tail are but slightly developed, the strong legs are covered with scales, and the foot furnished with three toes armed with powerful claws. At a distance the plumage somewhat resembles hair, the webs of the feathers being all loose and separate; as is the case with the Ostrich, they take their origin by pairs from the same shaft. The wings are clothed with feathers exactly resembling those of the back, which divide from a middle line and fall gracefully over on either side. The entire plumage is of a dull brown, mottled with dirty grey; the feathers on the head and neck becoming gradually shorter, and so thinly placed, that the purplish hue of the skin of the throat and a patch round the ears is perfectly visible. The sexes differ but little in size, and are alike in colour. We have to thank Dr. Bennett for the first full account of these remarkable birds, drawn from observation of several kept about his own house. With their life in a wild state we are unfortunately but little acquainted, except that they frequent the open plains in large flocks, and are especially numerous about Botany Bay and Port Jackson.

THE EMU.

The EMU (_Dromæus Novæ-Hollandiæ_) is larger than the Nandu, but inferior in size to the Ostrich, its height usually not exceeding six feet. Australian hunters have occasionally killed specimens measuring seven feet to the crown of the head. The coloration of the plumage is principally of a uniform pale brown, of a darker shade on the head, throat, and centre of the back, and paler on the under side. The eye is light brown, the beak horn-grey, and the foot pale brown; the bare parts of the face are of a greyish tinge.

This bird is much valued on account of the clear, bright yellow oil extracted from it. This is obtained by boiling, and employed both for burning and as an excellent liniment in gouty cases.

Dr. Bennett informs us that the natives regard the flesh as a highly luscious treat when cooked with the skin on, and that the fibula or small bone of the leg is employed by them as an ornament.