890 SOLITAIRE 



result that 85 more specimens were obtained in the following year 

 {Froc. Zool. Soc. 1865, pp. 715-718). Moreover, the British Associa- 

 tion was induced by Mr. Sclater to supply Sir Edward with the 

 means of more extended exploration, and this, carried on by Mr. 

 Jenner's orders, under the supervision of Sergeant Morris, pro- 

 duced nearly 2000 examples, which were in due time described 

 and figured {Phil. Trans. 1869, pp. 327-362, pis. xv.-xxiv.) That 

 the results obtained were important needs hardly to be said, but in 

 nothing were they more striking than in the testimony they bore 

 to the truth of Leguat's account of the bird, even in parts which 

 had been thought too extraordinary for belief : — the rugosity at the 

 base of the bill indicated a caruncular ridge that he likened to "a 

 widow's peak " and represented in his figure : the curved outline 

 of the pelvis is in accordance with the bird's " hind part " being 

 " rounded like the crupper of a horse " : the long neck and legs 

 could not fail to produce " their fine mien " and the " stateliness 

 and good grace " with which they walked : but, more unexpected 

 than anything else was the " little round mass " of bone on the 

 wing " as big as a musket ball " — largely developed in the males 

 and forming a formidable weapon in the combats which took place 

 among rivals. All this, together with the difference of the sexes in 

 size ^ which, though not positively stated, may be inferred from his 

 words, was just as he had said ; and the variability of colour he had 

 noticed in the females — " some fair, some brown "—was paralleled 

 by the marvellous variability displayed by almost every bone of the 

 skeleton. Mr. Jenner was good enough to continue his services, 

 and at least as many more specimens were obtained from the caves 

 in 1871. On the occasion of the Transit of Venus Expedition to 

 Rodriguez in 1874, Mr. H. H. Slater was commissioned by the 

 Royal Society to renew the exploration, and brought back a 

 collection as large as his predecessors had obtained, which to- 

 gether with the second acquisition of Mr. Jenner was dealt with 

 by Sir E. Newton and Mr. J,' W. Clark {Phil. Trans, clxviii. pp. 

 448-451), while in 1875 the late Mr. J. Caldwell visited the 

 island {Proc. Zool. Soc. 1875, pp. 644-647) and excavated for him- 

 self not only at least two complete skeletons (since unhappily lost) 

 but also found associated with them 3 or 4 examples of the 

 stone which Leguat had said the bird always bore in its gizzard 

 {oj>. cit. 1878, p. 291) and thus crowned the work of establishing 

 his veracity. 



Notwithstanding Leguat's description and the fact that we know 



' This sexual inequality was first recognized by Sir E. Newton ; but not 

 until it had misled Mr. Bartlett {Proc. Zool. Soc. 1851, pp. 280-284, pi. xlv.), 

 Strickland {Trans. Zool. Soc. iv. pp. 187-196, pi. 55) and myself. Even after my 

 brother had shewn it, Sir R. Owen fell into the same error, which he subse- 

 quently but tacitly acknowledged {Ann. Nat. Hist. ser. 5, i. p. 94). 



