I 



Recent Ornithological Puhlicutions. 481 



be true, that the uncouth original liad been deported from its 

 own verdant home and suffered all the inconveniences of a transit 

 thence to Vienna. But the most remarkable peculiarities* it 

 offers are the colour, which is almost entirely of a sooty-brown, 

 and the comparatively long primaries, which are only somewhat 

 lighter in hue than the other feathers. There is a very small rem- 

 nant of a tail ; and the whole appearance is that of a dishevelled 

 and travel-stained bird. It only remains to say of this Dodo, 

 of which an admirable plate is given, that the author thinks it 

 was a female bird, and that from it was most likely derived the 

 portion of the maxilla now in the museum at Prague, which was 

 first made known by Mr. Sclater through Strickland (Ann. and 

 Mag. N. H. 2nd ser. vi. pp. 290, 291) and was subsequently de- 

 scribed and figured by Dr. lleuss (Denkschr. k.-k. Akad. Wiss. 

 Wien, X. p. 71). 



We pass on to the next figure, wherein is depicted a very sin- 

 gular-looking bird. Great credit, we think, is due to Ilerr von 

 Frauenfeld for the acumen with which he has recognized in the 

 subject the " Poule rouge k bee de Becasse " of Cauche, the 

 " Velt-hoender " of Corneliszoon, and the " Hen ^' of Herbert. 

 It is of a dusky rust-colour, has a somewhat long, curved and 

 trenchant bill, stout serviceable-looking legs, on which it stands 

 firmly planted ; but its wings are evidently of no use for flying, 

 and it is apparently destitute of a tail. This I'emarkable bird 

 the author considers to belong to a new genus, which he calls 

 Aphanapteryx, and designates the species A, imperialis. He 

 also considers it possible that one of the figures in the well- 

 known Dodo- picture in the British Museum may be intended 

 to represent it. But hereupon we have something further to 

 say. Among the bones of birds recovered from the Mare aux 

 Songes, in Mauritius, along with those of Didus incptiis, by IMr. 

 Edward Newton, was an imperfect under mandible, which he 

 was unable to refer to any known species or genus. He submitted 



* It may also be noticed that the inside of the mouth is coloured red, 

 as it is also in a jjicture, by Pierre Withoos, supposed to represent the 

 Didine bird of Bourbon, which has lately been copied in f tic-simile for the 

 Transactions of the Zoological Society of Loudon (vol. vi. pp. 373-376, 

 pi. 62). 



