258 ORDERS OF BIRDS. 



than about six feet in height, was of an even more ponder- 

 ous construction — " the framework of the skeleton being the 

 most massive of any in the whole class of Birds," whilst 

 " the toe-bones almost rival those of the Elephant " (Owen). 

 The feet in Dinornis were furnished with three toes, and 

 are of interest as presenting us with an undoubted Bird big 

 enough to produce the largest of the footprints of the 

 Triassic Sandstones of Connecticut. New Zealand has now 

 been so far explored, that it seems questionable if it can 

 retain in its recesses any living example of Dinornis; but 

 it is certain that species of this genus were alive during the 

 human period, and survived up to quite a recent date. Not 

 only are the bones very numerous in certain localities, but 

 they are found in the most recent and superficial deposits, 

 and they still contain a considerable proportion of animal 

 matter ; whilst in some instances bones have been found 

 with the feathers attached, or with the horny skin of the 

 legs still adhering to them. Charred bones have been found 

 in connection with native " ovens ; " and the traditions of 

 the Maories contain circumstantial accounts of gigantic 

 wingless Birds, the " Moas," which were hunted both for 

 their flesh and their plumage. 



In Madagascar, bones have been discovered of another 

 huge wingless Post-Tertiary Bird, which must have been as 

 large as, or larger than, the Dinornis giganteus, and which 

 has been described under the name of yEj^iornis maximus. 

 With the bones have been found eggs measuring from thir- 

 teen to fourteen inches in diameter, and computed to have 

 the capacity of three ostrich - eggs. At least two other 

 smaller species of yEinornis have been described by Grandi- 

 dier and Milne-Edwards as occurring in Madagascar ; and 

 they consider the genus to be so closely allied to the Dinornis 

 of New Zealand, as to prove that these regions, now so re- 

 mote, were at one time united by land. Another point which 

 would favour this view is the existence in the Post-Tertiary 

 of the Mascarene Islands of a wingless bird (the Erythro- 

 machus Leguati), which A. Milne-Edwards considers to be 

 allied to the living Apteryx of New Zealand. The former 

 existence of Cursorial birds in regions now inhabited by 



