— 34 — 



Ces curieux documents avaient ete cleja presentes par 

 M. Alfred Newton lui-meme^ a la Societe Zoologique de 

 Londres^ a sa seance du 19 Mai 1874 ; ils rapportent un 

 fait excessivementj interessant^ c^est Fenvoi fait en An- 

 gleterre, et dans cette meme annee 1628, d^un Dodo vi- 

 vant. 



Ces lettres sont ecrites dans le style et les caracteres 

 de cette epoque, et le resnme en a ete fait par Mr Alfred 

 Newton. 



II est C0U9U dans les termes suivants : 



ON A LIVING DODO SHirPED FOE ENGLAND IN THE YEAR 1628. 



Hdving lad the satisfactioD, at the meeting of this Socie- 

 ty on the 19th of IMay last, of exhibiting to the Members 

 then present two original letters mentioning a Dodo (Biclus 

 inejihis) sent to this country by the writer of them in the 

 year 1628. I now offer a few remarks thereon ; for the short 

 time they had been in my possession hardly allowed me then 

 to ascertain the chief point of interest to be derived from 

 them. 



'The two letters were cnt to mc by their custodian, John 

 Bramston Wilmot, Esq., M. D,, of Tunbridge Wells. Early 

 in the present year, a notice of the Dodo by Mr Tegetmeier, 

 F. Z. S. (witli a wood-ciit frcm the picture formerly belong- 

 ing to the late Ivlr Broderip, and now in the Society's keep- 

 ing (1), appeared in the ' Field ' newspaper. This attracted 

 Dr Witmot's attention ; and he immediately 'communicated 



(1) Truns, Zool Sec. ir. p. 1S6, pi 54. 



