from the neighbourhood of Cher son. 5 



has a rougher texture. The egg has on the whole most re- 

 semblance to certain examples of the Ostrich-egg {Struthio 

 camelus), which, however, vary excessively in form. Com- 

 pared with the egg of ^pyornis'^, of which our museum has 

 a plaster cast received from Paris, the present egg is some- 

 what shorter and more rounded — its short diameter being to 

 its long as 1 : 1'2, while in yEpyornis the corresponding pro- 

 portion is 1 : 1'3. 



In respect of size the fossil egg far exceeds the largest Os- 

 trich-egg, without, however, rivalling, except in the most 

 distant degree, that of the jEpyornis. Its long diameter 

 measures 18 centimetres, its short 15 cent, (from which the 

 above-mentioned proportion of 1 : 1*2 or 5 : 6 results). The 

 longer circumference measures 52 cent., the shorter 46 cent. 

 The volume was estimated at 2200 cubic centimetres. We 

 may therefore calculate its contents to equal those of from 

 40 to 44 hen's eggs of ordinary size. For comparison I 

 may remark that the largest Ostrich-egg I could find mea- 

 sured 16 cent, by 135, and gave a volume of 1350 cubic 

 cent, (equal to from 25 to 27 hen's eggs)t. The volume of 

 the yEpyornis-egg is said to have been reckoned to be equal 

 to that of 148 hen's eggs. 



The surface of the egg under the microscope, particularly 

 on one side and near one pole, shows a decidedly rough or 

 bunchy appeaaance, besides in many places irregularly di- 

 rected crooked-running shallow scratches, which from their 

 habitus give the idea of very fine vessels on the inner side of 

 the shell, as also deep sharply defined pits, as if made by a 

 blunt needle. These last appearances are especially notice- 

 able on the smoother parts of the egg, and represent in a 

 larger proportion the needle-prick-like pits on the eggs of the 

 Ostrich. 



* Prof. Brandt spells this word £pio)~nis, as originally wiitten by Isidore 

 Geoffroy St.-Hilaire, the founder of the genus. But the derivation being 

 from alnvs, there can be no question of jEpyornis being the correct or- 

 thography. — Ed. 



t According to Thienemann an Ostrich-egg is (in volume) equivalent 

 to about 30 hen's eggs. (' Fortpflanzuugsgeschichte d. gesamm. Vogel,' 

 Leipzig, 1 849, p. H.) 



