The Emu lives upon vegetable food such as fruits, roots, and grass.
It has a great curiosity and is easily tamed. It is very inoffensive
except when violently attacked; then it kicks like a horse. It is
said that its kick will break a man's leg. Its flesh is eaten by the
natives and is said to look and taste like beef. It can run very
fast. It lays from 6 to 12 dark green coloured eggs and its young are
pretty little striped things as in the above picture. It is, next to
the Ostrich, the largest bird in the world, being 5 or 6 feet high,
its colour is a mixture of grey and brown, and its voice has a low
booming sound. It is generally coupled with the Kangaroo in the
Australian Arms.
[Illustration: Platypus.]