96 THE LIFE OF A BIRD. 



lous as the other incidents recorded in those 

 narratives. This bird was called a Roc, and was 

 considered to be a creature capable of winging its 

 way through the air, even with a man on its back ! 

 It would seem that this account, so far as it refers 

 to the size of the bird, can scarcely be deemed 

 fabulous. Among the most ancient records of the 

 Egyptians that have come down to us, there is 

 described a gigantic bird, which is represented 

 by paintings and sculpture on the ancient monu- 

 ments of that country. Recent researches render 

 it probable that a great bird actually did for- 

 merly exist. In New Zealand the fossil bones of 

 an immense bird have recently been discovered. 

 The most remarkable circumstances, however, 

 connected with this subject, are the separate 

 discoveries of Captain Cook, Captain Flinders, 

 and Mr. Burton, of the most enormous nests yet 

 found in the kingdom of birds. Captain Cook 

 says : " Upon this island we saw an incredible 

 number of birds, chiefly sea-fowl : we found also 

 the nest of an eagle with young ones, which we 

 killed, and the nest of some other bird, we knew 

 not what, of a most enormous size. It was built 

 with sticks upon the ground, and was no less than 





