Alex Whitehouse, age 11, of Newtonville,
Can the cassowary bird fly?
Most of us see this big bird only in a zoo ‑ which is a good thing, For Mr. Cassowary is rated by some as the most dangerous bird in the world. He fights by kicking his powerful legs and one toe on each foot is armed with a claw like a slashing saber, A grown cassowary can kill or cripple a man with ease. However, this mighty fighter does not go out of his way to pick a fight. Nor does he swoop down from the sky with claws bared. He is a flightless bird, cousin to the emu of Australia, the rhea of South America and the great ostrich of Africa,
Mr, Cassowary may stand five feet tall and his wife may be a few inches taller. His bulky body is set on long, sturdy legs and his long neck is topped with a gaudy head. The dark, brownish black feathers which cover his big body and upper thighs are like long, silky hairs, each with two threads. The neck is naked and the skin is colored with brilliant blotches of blue, red, yellow or purple.
The head is topped with a crest of hard bone which may be flat or curved like a helmet. The bony crest and the sharp beak are also used as weapons. His most dangerous weapon, however, is his dagger claws, He has three strong toes on each foot, though only the inner toe of each foot is armed,
The cassowary and his cousins are called ratite birds, a name which comes from the Latin word for raft. All these big, bulky fellows have flat, raft‑shaped breastbones while flying birds have curved, keel.. shaped breastbones. The ancestors of the ratites were most likely flying birds also, but for various reasons they gave up the air for life on the ground.
Through the ages they became fat and heavy, too heavy for flight, and their wings became small and useless with generations of idleness.
Their weak wings of the strong cassowary are tucked in his hairy plumage. Each is tipped with five stiff quills, strong enough to be used as weapons. With his toe talons, his horny head plate, his fierce bill and the quill, spears on his wings this fellow is really armed to the teeth ‑ or he would be if birds had teeth,
The cassowary is a native of the dense jungle areas of Australia, New Guinea and other nearby islands. As a rule he keeps to the thickets, dining on insects and jungle vegetation. For dessert, he enjoys a little jungle fruit. The natives hunt him for food and his big body provides a grand feast. He can swim, leap six feet into the air and run at 40 miles an hour.
The cassowary can be tamed, though never trusted. Even as a gentle pet,he tends to forget his civilized manners and tear up his owner. In
`'his family life, however, Mr. Cassowary takes .over the duties of child care. After she lays the eggs, his :wife ‑goes off to lead a carefree life of her own. Papa sits on the. eggs for, seven long weeks and later tends and educates the squawking youngsters.