THE SOLITAIRE 221 



In 1691 he visited the island with the object 

 of founding a colony there, but, fortunately for 

 naturalists, he seems to have devoted more of 

 his time to watching the habits of the Solitaire 

 than to his settlement, which came to an end in a 

 couple of years. The accuracy of his account of 

 this bird had long been doubted, but subsequent 

 researches have confirmed its truth in almost every 

 important particular. From Leguat's interesting 

 account (published in 1708) of the long extinct 

 Solitaire we make the following extract : — 



" Of all the birds in the island the most remark- 

 able is that which goes by the name of the Solitaire, 

 because it is very seldom seen in company, though 

 there are abundance of them. 



" The feathers of the males are of a brown-grey 

 colour ; the feet and beak are like a Turkey's, but 

 a little more crooked. They have scarce any tail, 

 but their hind part covered with feathers is roundish, 

 like the crupper of a horse ; they are taller than 

 Turkeys. Their neck is straight, and a little longer 

 in proportion than a Turkey's when it lifts up his 

 head. Its eye is black and lively, and its head 

 'without comb or cop. They never fly, their wings 

 are too little to support the weight of their bodies ; 



