A P T E R Y X. 



179 



taining the genus pnle.v, as entitled to the term 

 aphaniptera (which see), as proposed by Messrs. 

 Kirhy and Spence ; whilst with Mr. MaVleay we 

 sliall regard the centipedes, millepedes, spring tails, 

 and lice, as the types of so many orders in the class 

 of amctabolia in a more extended sense than as de- 

 fined in p. 9J, whilst, with Latreille, we shall regard 

 the arachnida as containing not only the spiders and 

 scorpions, but also the mites which Dr. Leach 

 regarded as forming a class by themselves. 



APTERYX the wingless bird of New Zealand. 

 A most extraordinary species, genus, family, and as 

 one may almost say order of winged -creature, of 

 which the characters, so far as they are known, clearly 

 enough demonstrate that it is a bird, but they as 

 clearly demonstrate that it does not come within any 

 of the orders into which other birds are arranged in 

 the systems. All that is known of it is a single skin, 

 with the bill and feet attached, unmutilated, and in a 

 good state of preservation. This skin was brought 

 from New Zealand in 1812, by^Captain Barcley of 

 the ship Providence, from whom it passed into the 

 hands of the late Dr. Shaw, and after the doctor's 

 death it was purchased by Lord Stanley, in whose 

 possession it now remains. Dr. Shaw described it 

 in the 24th volume of the Naturalist's Miscellany, 

 and accompanied the description by a figure; and 

 that description and figure form the only sources 

 whence Temminck, and some other foreign natu- 

 ralists, who have noticed the bird, obtained their 

 information. But Dr. Shaw, though a laborious 

 collector, and voluminous compiler, was by no means 

 a philosophic naturalist, and therefore his figure was 

 not very accurate, and his description by no means 

 calculated either to draw much attention to the bird, 

 or to put inquirers in the right way of discovering 

 its natural relations or affinities. Some foreign 

 naturalists went even so far as to question the 

 existence of the bird, though in the same work, and 

 in the adjoining page, the very same author men- 

 tions it, under its New Zealand name of Kivi KM 

 (most likely an imitation of its cry), as being abun- 

 dant in the forests of that country. Of course, no 

 characters are described along with the mention of 

 the Kivi Kivi, because, though many of the voyagers 

 frequenting New Zealand have often heard the 

 natives mention the name of the bird, the places 

 where it is found, and some of them have seen the 

 chiefs with cloaks ornamented with the skins, so as 

 to leave no doubt of the identity of the Stanley 

 specimen, yet it does not appear that any European 

 has seen either bill or foot, except in that specimen. 



Lord Stanley sent the specimen to the Zoological 

 Society, where the skin was so carefully examined as 

 to ascertain with certainty that there is no decep- 

 tion in it ; and a new figure and description, more 

 in accordance with the analogies of the bird, were 

 drawn up by Mr. Yarrell, with his usual accuracy. 

 Of this figure, prepared under the directions of Mr. 

 Yarrell, we give an accurate view in the next 

 column ; and we cannot convey a clearer idea of 

 the appearance of this extraordinary creature than 

 in that gentleman's words. 



" The whole length of the bird," says Mr. Yarrell, 

 " from the point of the beak to. the end of the body 

 (for there is no tail), is 32 inches ; the beak is of a 

 light yellow brown colour, long, slender, smooth, and 

 polished, in form resembling that of an ibis, but 

 rather more straight, and depressed at the base ; 



length from the gape to the point, six inches and 

 three quarters ; the upper mandible is grooved in 

 each outer side, near the margin, throughout its 

 whole length ; at the end of this groove, at each 

 side, the nostrils are pierced, the apertures elon- 

 gated and covered by a membrane, so suspended 

 on the outside of each of these like a valve, that 

 the slightest pressure against the outer surface 

 when flexible, as during life, would render the nos- 

 trils impervious, and effectually defend and cover 

 them. A bristle introduced into the nostril, under 

 and behind this defending membrane, passes up the 

 whole length of the beak. The upper mandible 

 terminates in a blunt truncated knob, projecting a 

 little downwards, behind which, on its under surface, 

 the end of the low r er mandible ranges when both are 

 closed. The lower mandible is also grooved slightly 

 near the outer edges throughout its whole length. 

 Both mandibles are broad and flat at the base, mea- 

 suring full one inch across at the gape, and only seven 

 lines in height. The breadth of the upper mandible at 

 the point is two lines, under mandible still more narrow. 

 " Throughout the whole length of the upper man- 

 dible and the distal three-fourths of the under one, 

 the inner or opposed surfaces of both are perfectly 

 flat, producing, when pressed together, uniform and 

 entire contact, and well adapted for compressing or 

 crushing such substances as may be selected for food. 

 The proximal fourth of the lower mandible is concave 

 on its inner surface, affording space for the tongue,which 

 must, in proportion to the beak, be small and short. 



Apteryx. 



" The form of the body in this preserved specimen 

 is that of an elongated cone placed nearly upright 

 over a pair of short and stout legs, and the bird is 

 thus made to resemble a penguin. In the figure 

 annexed to the present description, the position and 

 character assumed for it is that of the Sfrut/iioits 

 birds, in accordance with its real systematic relations. 



" From the crown of the head to the lower end of 

 the body, the length is twenty-four inches ; and the 

 circumference at the lower part eighteen inches. 

 The feathers on the top of the head and forehead are 

 short, and the skin carried forwards over the base of 

 the beak to the extent of an inch, is covered by a 

 mixture of dark feathers, bristles, arid hair. About 

 the gape on each side are also several long black 

 bristles. The feathers of the neck are somewhat 

 longer than those on the head, and they increase in 

 length generally in proceeding downwards over the 

 body. Those of the head and neck are of a hair 

 brown colour, with the shafts lighter ; on the back, 

 sides, and rump, the shafts and inner portions of the 

 webs are reddish, yellow, brown, and the edges dark 

 brown, producing an agreeably variegated appear- 

 ance. On the lower part of the neck in front, the 

 breast, and the belly, the feathers are lighter in colour 

 T2 



