EMSER, 'em'z4r, Hieronymus, German Roman Catholic theologian: b. Ulm, 26 March 1472; d. Dresden, 8 Nov. 1527. In 1502 he be came professor at the University of Erfurt, where Luther is said by him to have been among his pupils. In 15N he established him self at Leipzig, where he also lectured at the university. He served as secretary to Duke George of Saxony, who sent him on a mission to Rome, in order to obtain the canonization of Bishop Benno of Meissen. With Luther and the theologians of Wittenberg generally he was on good terms until the disputation of Leipzig in 1519, from which time he made, in union with Dr. Eck, incessant endeavors to oppose the increasing influence of Luther and the progress of Protestantism. The German translation of the Bible by Luther was attacked by him as errone ous, whereupon it was forbidden in Saxony by Duke George. Emser then himself published a translation of the New Testament into German, inade from the Vulgate (1527). He also wrote (Vita S. Bennonis,) as he ascribed to Saint Benno his recovery from a severe sickness.
EMU, the only representative of the fam ily Dromaiidce, and with the cassowaries the Australian representatives of the order Struth iones. In size the emu ranks between the African ostrich and the rhea of South America, the African bird being seven feet in height and the emu five. In general appearance and form
it is more bird-like than either of the others. Like the cassowary of northern Australia, its head and neck are featheredl and the back is gracefully arched. Its body is covered with a rich brownish plumage. With the rhea and cas sowary, it has three toes on the foot, while the African ostrich has but two. The emu is a bird of the plains, where it feeds upon fruits, herbs, and roots. The nest is scooped in the sand, and the number of is six or seven, of an attractive green, earsneasuring five inches in length. The feathers have no ornamental value, and the flesh is eaten only by the natives. Coursing the emu has been carried to such an extent that the birds of New Holland, once spread throughout the whole continent, are now in many parts exterminated. It is valued by the natives chiefly for the fat beneath the skin which contains great quantities of oil. The emu utters a faint booming noise and sometimes a shrill piping note. In confinement it is found to be tractable, and is readily tamed.