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

vi

paper communicated to the Zoological Society, November 28th, 1843, and of the first "Memoir on the Genus Dinornis" in the present work.

To this Memoir is prefixed one "On the Anatomy of the Apteryx," which, notwithstanding the inferiority of size, modified structure of the palate, and different proportions of the beak (compare P1. VII, fig. 2 with P1. CXIV. fig. 1), is the living bird which is the nearest of kin to the extinct Moas.

As expressions in the present collection of "Memoirs" occasionally occur on ornithological problems which have since been solved, notes of the dates of such papers may here be given. [handwritten: ?? are not.]

Page 1, containing the remark on the Dodo, was printed in 1838: p. 41, on the skinmuscles of Birds, in 1842. In the "Memoir on the Genus Dinornis" of 1843, p. 73, reference is made to the intial paper of 1839. Since that date materials for the present volume have reached me year by year, and have received such notice as I deemed might stimulate to further research.

That the bird I had pictured in imagination, and afterwards, on acquiring sufficient evidence of specific characters, called Dinornis struthioides, was not the sole representative of its genus, and was far from being the largest, were facts for which I was not prepared. It has been some satisfaction to me to find that eminent ornithologists have recently added one or two species to the Rhea americana; and one may well imagine that the more numerous and diversified kinds of Donornis exhibited as well-marked superficial characters as are shown by the six admitted living species of Casuarius, the osteological distinctions of which are less marked than those on which I have founded fifteen species of Dinornis.

I here repeat my hearty thanks to the contributors of the subjects of the several Memoirs in which those species are characterized, and acknowledge my deep obligations to the Zoological Society of London for the favourable medium of making known successive discoveries of the extinct Birds of New Zealand in their 'Proceedings' and 'Transactions,' and for the liberal permission to avail myself of the plates given in those publications for the purpose of the present work.

With pleasure, also, I embrace this opportunity of expressing my sense of the value of the co-operation of my friend Mr JAMES ERXLEBEN, the accomplished Artist to whom this work owes the chief part of its Illustrations.

CONTENTS.

Page PREFACE . . . . . iv On the Apteryx australis . . . . . 1 On the genus Dinornis . . . . . 73 On the genus Palapteryx . . . . . 115 On the genus Harpagornis . . . . . 141 On the Dinornis robustus . . . . . 151 On the genus Notornis . . . . . 173 On the genus Aptornis . . . . . 179 Restoration of the feet in Dinornis and Palapteryx . . . . . 185 On the sternum of Palapteryx and Notornis . . . . . 196 On the bones of the leg of Notornis . . . . . 199 On osseous remains of the Apteryx . . . . . 201 On the cranial and mandibular characters of Dinornis . . . . . 205 On the bones of the leg of Dinornis struthioides and D. gracilis . . . . . 215 On the Dinornis elephantopus . . . . . 223 On the genus Cnemiornis . . . . . 238 On the integument and tendons of the foot of Dinornis robustus . . . . . 248 On the Dinornis maximus . . . . . 250 On the modifications of the sternum in Dinornis . . . . . 254 On the modifications of the skull in Dinornis . . . . . 262 On the Dasornis of Sheppey and the Gastornis of Paris . . . . . 284 On the Aptornis defossor . . . . . 290 On the eggs of Dinornis . . . . . 317 On the Apteryx australis (brain and nerves) . . . . . 321 On the brain, larynx, and trachea of Dinornis . . . . . 326 On the Apteryx australis (mandibular and hyoidean muscles) . . . . . 334 Restoration of the Aptornis defossor . . . . . 339 On the Dinornis gravis . . . . . 347 Restoration of Cnemiornis calcitrans . . . . . 365 Restoration of Dinornis gravis . . . . . 385 Restoration of Dinornis robustus . . . . . 388 Restoration of Dinornis maximus . . . . . 391 Course and range of variation in species of Dinornis . . . . . 427 Restoration of Notornis . . . . . 436 On the integument and plumage of Dinornis . . . . . 440

viii

Page On the "Ornithichnites" or foot-prints of Dinornis . . . . . 451 On the food, nests, and traditions of the Moas . . . . . 455 On the extinction and origin of the species of Dinornis . . . . . 460

APPENDIX On the Dromornis australis of Australia (No. I. pp. 1-7) . . . . . 467 On the Garfowl (Alca Impennis) of Newfoundland (No. II. pp. 1-20) . . . . . 475 On the Dodo (Didus ineptus) of Mauritins (Supplement II. p. 21) . . . . . 495 On the Solitaire (Pezophaps solitaria) of Rodriguez ( Supplement III. p. 38) . . . . . 512

ix

FRONTISPIECE. Notornis mantelli, nat. size : from the living bird, noticed p. 436; previously indicated by Fossil Remains, pp. 173-178.

SUBJECTS OF WOODCUTS. Page Section of the Contour and Formation of the Manuherikia Valley . . . . . 156 Terrace-formation of the basins in Otago . . . . . 156 Section of drift-sand formation and ancient-native cooking-place . . . . . 220 Atlas vertebra, Dinornis maximus, upper view . . . . . 392 Atlas vertebra, Dinornis maximus, under view . . . . . 392 Atlas vertebra, Dinornis maximus, front view . . . . . 392 Axis vertebra, Dinornis maximus, side view . . . . . 394 Axis vertebra, Dinornis maximus, front view . . . . . 394 Axis vertebra, Dinornis maximus, back view . . . . . 394 Axis vertebra, Dinornis maximus, under view . . . . . 394 Third cervical vertebra, Dinornis maximus, side view . . . . . 396 Third cervical vertebra, Dinornis maximus, front view . . . . . 396 Third cervical vertebra, Dinornis maximus, under view . . . . . 396 Third cervical vertebra, Dinornis maximus, upper view . . . . . 396 Fourth cervical vertebra, Dinornis maximus, side view . . . . . 397 Fourth cervical vertebra, Dinornis maximus, under view . . . . . 397 Sixth cervical vertebra, Dinornis maximus, under view . . . . . 399 Twelth cervical vertebra, Dinornis maximus, side view . . . . . 400 Twelth cervical vertebra, Dinornis maximus, back view . . . . . 400 Fourteenth cervical vertebra, Dinornis maximus, under view . . . . . 401 Fifteenth cervical vertebra, Dinornis maximus, side view . . . . . 403 Fifteenth cervical vertebra, Dinornis maximus, under view . . . . . 403 Fifteenth cervical vertebra, Dinornis maximus, front view . . . . . 404 Fifteenth cervical vertebra, Dinornis maximus, back view . . . . . 404 Fifteenth cervical vertebra, Dinornis maximus, side view . . . . . 406 Fifteenth cervical vertebra, Dinornis maximus, upper view . . . . . 406 Fifteenth cervical vertebra, Dinornis maximus, under view . . . . . 406 First dorsal vertebra, Dinornis maximus, upper view . . . . . 408 First dorsal vertebra, Dinornis maximus, side view . . . . . . 408 Fourth dorsal vertebra, Dinornis maximus, side view . . . . . 410

[illegible hardwritten addition]

x

Page Fourth dorsal vertebra, Dinornis maximus, front view . . . . . 410 Fourth dorsal vertebra, Dinornis maximus, upper view . . . . . 410 Fifth dorsal vertebra, Dinornis maximus, side view . . . . . 412 Sixth dorsal vertebra, Dinornis maximus, side view . . . . . 412 Sixth dorsal vertebra, Dinornis maximus, front view . . . . . 412 Seventh dorsal vertebra, Dinornis maximus, side view . . . . . 414 Seventh dorsal vertebra, Dinornis maximus, back view . . . . . 414 Sternum, Dinornis crassus, under or outer view . . . . . 419 Sternum, Dinornis elephantopus, under or outer view . . . . . 419 Sternum, Dinornis robustus, under or outer view . . . . . 419 Sternum, Dinornis maximus, under or outer view . . . . . 419 Sternum, Dinornis giganteus, under or outer view . . . . . 419 Sternum Dinornis rheides, under or outer view . . . . . 419 Second caudal vertebra, Dinornis maximus, front view . . . . . 423 Second caudal vertebra, Dinornis maximus, side view . . . . . 423 Seventh, eighth, and ninth caudal vertebra, Dinornis maximus . . . . . 424 Feather of Dinornis (from sketch by Capt. Hutton, Corr. M. Z. S.) . . . . . 442 Chart of the latest known breeding-coasts of Alca impennis (Appendix II. p. 1) . . . . . 475

ERRATA. Page 109, for Plate XVIII. read Plate XVII. 110, for Plate XVIII A. read Plate XVIII. 111, for Plate XVIII A. read Din. casuarinus. 111, 11 lines from bottom, for young Dinornis struthioides read Dinornis casuarinus. 112, 4 lines from top, for Dinornis read Aptornis. 112, 12 lines from top, for Dinornis read Aptornis. 199, 11 lines from top, for pp. 151, 172 read pp. 173-178. 459, 10 lines from top :- My friend and valued correspondent, Lady Martin, wife of the first Chief Justice of New Zealand, writes to me, "I am surprised to see 'taiaha' translated as 'axe' or 'adze'. We have seen and handled many 'taiahas', and always heard the name given to a wooden spear. These spears were often well carved. An axe is ordinarily called 'toki.' " 459, line 13, for "panetao" read "pounamu." 459, line 20, for "tutal" read "tutai" : the Maoris have no l sound.