THE DODO 219 



disuse of its wings, probably through long resi- 

 dence upon an island free from enemies, and where 

 aerial locomotion was unnecessary to its existence. 

 As the wings became more and more abortive, the 

 body possibly grew in bulk, owing to a sedentary 

 habit, until at last flight became impossible. We 

 cannot, however, endorse all Dr. Wallace's views 

 respecting the origin of these curious Didine forms ; 

 and it seems to us by no means improbable that 

 the group was more widely dispersed at some 

 earlier epoch. 



From the numerous paintings of the Dodo which 

 are in existence — some of which we have had the 

 pleasure of examining — we may infer that the 

 bird was a big-bodied one, with short, clumsy legs, 

 enormous head, and huge, ungainly-looking, hooked 

 bill. The body was clothed in loose plumage, the 

 quills alone being rigid, the tail plumose. Its 

 general colour appeared to be dark grey, the breast 

 brown, and the wings and tail white. 



