283 
especially while they are young; some of the males weigh forty-five 
pounds. 
«The females are wonderfully beautiful, some fair, some brown ; I 
call them fair, because they are of the colour of fair hair. They have 
a sort of peak, like a widow’s, upon their breasts (Jege beaks), which 
is of adun colour. No one feather is straggling from the other all 
over their bodies, they being very careful to adjust themselves, and 
make them all even with their beaks. The feathers on their thighs 
are round like shells at the end, and being there very thick have an 
agreeable effect. They have two risings on their craws, and the 
feathers are whiter there than the rest, which livelily represents the 
fine neck of a beautiful woman. They walk with so much stateli- 
ness and good grace, that one cannot help admiring and loving them ; 
by which means their fine mien often saves their lives.”—Leguat’s 
Voyage to the East Indies, 1708, p. 71. 
You will perceive this bird was said to be larger and taller than a 
Turkey. A comparison of this metatarsal bone with the metatarsal 
bone of the Turkey I think will satisfactorily show the accuracy of 
Leguat’s description, and at the same time justify our conclusion 
that this metatarsal bone belonged to the Solitaire of Rodriguez, to 
which the name of Didus solitarius has been applied. I trust I shall 
be pardoned for avoiding the use of the new generic term adopted by 
the authors of ‘The Dodo and its kindred,’ for in a group so little 
known, and at present so limited in species, it seems to me so much 
to increase the trouble and difficulty of those who endeavour to study 
such subjects, that I cannot help expressing my belief that many of 
the new names so often introduced serve only to impede and embarrass 
us, and I therefore regard them as much worse than useless. 
I have now remaining the bone of a bird which when alive was 
much larger, heavier, and more powerful than the Dodo. For further 
examples of this bird’s bones, I must refer to the plates in the work 
before alluded to, by Mr. Strickland and Dr. Melville: plate xv. fig. 2, 
the metatarsal bone of the large species in the Andersonian Museum, 
Glasgow; fig. 3, a metatarsal bone in the Parisian collection. A glance 
at these specimens will, I imagine, convince any one that this bird 
was of gigantic size, and probably double the weight of the Dodo. I 
am sure it cannot be supposed (after what has been said) that Leguat 
was describing this great bird when he wrote his beautiful description 
of the Solitaire. Another important fact will, I think, set this question 
at rest. Leguat states, that some of the males of the Solitaire weigh 
Sorty-five pounds. Now we know the weight of the largest Turkeys 
to be considerably less, rarely reaching thirty pounds, while the weight 
of the Dodo is stated to have been at least fifty pounds. It cannot, 
therefore, be supposed, had Leguat seen birds nearly double the size 
of the Dodo, he could have made the statements or comparison he 
has made between the Solitaire and Turkey. 
I have before expressed my great dislike to an unnecessary increase 
of names: I feel, however, the necessity of finding an appropriate 
