278 THE BIRDS 



such as is seen in the apteryx, and thence had continued to 

 develop, attaining its climax in the wings of the eagle, condor, and 

 albatross." 



Naturally, birds that cannot fly run far greater risks of exter- 

 mination than those that can escape on the wing from their 

 enemies, and this danger became greater as soon as man appeared 

 upon the scene. The giant Rocs and Moas were apparently hunted 

 out of existence by the natives of New Zealand and Madagascar 

 in recent times, v for there is evidence that some of these birds were 

 still in existence some two hundred' years ago. A like fate has 

 overtaken flightless birds belonging to other families, The most 

 notable examples are the Dodo a bird allied to the pigeons, found 

 living at the end of the sixteenth century on the island of Mauritius, 

 when it was rediscovered by the Dutch which was wiped out of 

 existence by the pigs imported by the invaders; and the Great 

 Auk, or " Gare-fowl," a bird related to the guillemots and razor- 

 bills, that used to be abundant in the northern seas, and habitually 

 bred on the island of St. Kilda. This bird, which was apparently 

 very helpless and stupid, and from its ill-developed wings quite 

 incapable of flight, was killed in wholesale fashion by sailors for 

 the sake of its flesh and feathers, and, as its rate of reproduction 

 was very slow, it was quickly exterminated. The last survivor, 

 it is believed, was captured in 1834. 



The Rocs and the Moas were huge, ostrich-like birds, with, in 

 most cases, very stout and long legs and small heads. The Roc 

 produced eggs which were extraordinarily large in proportion 

 to its size, some having been discovered measuring thirteen inches 

 by nine and a half inches. From the size of the Roc's egg it 

 was at one time imagined that the bird itself must have been 

 proportionately gigantic, and this probably gave rise to the 

 wonderful stories of the giant Roc of the Venetian traveller, Marco 

 Polo, and of the Arabian Nights. As a matter of fact, the largest 

 known species of this bird probably stood about seven feet high, 

 not so large as some of the New Zealand Moas, whose height is 

 estimated to have been twelve feet. 



Very nearly related to the extinct Ratitse are the curious little 

 Kiwis of New Zealand. They are comparatively small birds, 

 the largest member of the family, the Large Grey Kiwi (Apteryx 

 haasti), being only two feet high. The neck and feet are proper- 



