Cassowary, Ostrich, Rhea: Questions and Suggestions Related to the ema in Portuguese and Chinese Texts of the 16th and 17th Centuries

China imported various kinds of exotic birds from Southeast Asia. Among the names for such one finds combinations huoji and ema / nima. Most scholars think they stand cassowaries. The name (plus similar forms) also appears in early Portuguese texts where it sometimes refers to ostrich rhea. present article discusses several references these sources, as well Sino-Jesuit context. It offers some suggestions concerning circulation that term or via Macau. This may have involved port Patani on Malayan Peninsula. However, precise origin many other points remain open issues.