Memoirs on the extinct wingless birds of New Zealand : with an appendix on those of England, Australia, Newfoundland, Mauritius, and Rodriguez

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third greater than that of the largest Emeu's with which I have compared it. The bones of the extremities of the great Testudo Elephantopus are solid throughout. Those of the Crocodile bone, no cancellous, shrunken like the present bone. The cancellous texture of mammiferous bones, again, is of a much finer & more fibrous character than in the fossil.

Although I speak of the bone much, this ........, it must be observed that it does not present the character of a true fossil, being by no means completely mineralized, it has probably been on or in the ground for some time, but still retains much of its animal matter. The discovery of the relic of a larger struthious bird in New Zeland is one of peculiar interest on account of the remarkable character of the ex...... farma* of that I found, which still includes one of the most extraordinary and anomalous* genera, of the Struthious order; & because of the close analogy which the event indicated by the present relic offers to the extinction of the Dodo of the islands of the Mauritious & Rodriguez. So far as a judgement can be formed from a single fragment, it seems probable that this bird to which the above described bone belonged, presented proportions more nearly resembling those of the Dodo than of any of the existing Struthionidae. In the partially explored state of the islands of New Zealand it would be premature to pronounce the large Struthious bird thus indicated to be extinct. The present notice it is hoped, may tend to accelerate its discovery, if it be still in being, or may stimulate to the collection of the remaining parts of the skeleton , if the species no longer exists."

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Description of the Plate Plate III

fig. 1. Contour view of the fragment. 2. Portion ditto 3. Internal view of its cancellous structure.

-- insert sketch --

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