FEATHERED GIANTS 157 



other skeletons and numerous hones are to he found in 

 other instittitions^ hut the author is not aware of any egg 

 being in this country. Specimens of the JEpyornis are 

 rare in this country^ but Mr. Robert Gilfort, of Orange^ 

 N. J., is the possessor of a very fine egg. A number of 

 eggs have been sold in London^ the pices ranging from 

 £200 dozen to £JfJ2, this last being much less than prices 

 paid for eggs of the great auk. But then, the great 

 auk is somexvhat of a fad, and there are just enough 

 eggs in eocistence to bring one into the market every 

 little while. Besides, the number of eggs of the great 

 auk is a fixed quantity, zvhile no one knows how many 

 more of ^pyornis remain to be discovered in the swamps 

 of Madagascar. No specimens of the gigantic Pata- 

 gonian birds are noxv in this country, bid a fine exam- 

 ple of one of the smaller forms, Pelycornis, including 

 the only breast-bone yet foutid, is in the Museum of 

 Princeton University. 



The largest knoxen tibia of a Moa, the longest bird- 

 bone knoxvn, is in the collection of the Canterbury Mu- 

 seum, Christchurch, New Zealand ; it is 3 feet 3 inches 

 long. This, hoxoever, is exceptional, the measurements 

 of the leg-bones of an ordinary Dinomis maximum 

 being as folloxcs : Femur, 18 inches ; tibia, 32 inches ; 

 tarsus, 19 inches, a total of 5 feet 9 inches. The egg 

 measures 10^ by 6^ inches. 



There is plenty of literatui'e, and very interesting 



