GIANT BIRDS. 237 



In North America Professor Cope has reported a large wingless 

 fossil bird from the Eocene strata of New Mexico. In England 

 we have two such namely, the Dasornis, from the London Clay 

 of Sheppey (Eocene period), and the Gastornis, from the Wool- 

 wich beds near Croydon, and from Paris (also Eocene). 



It will thus be seen that big struthious birds have a long 

 history, going far back into the Tertiary era, and that they once 

 had a much wider geographical range than they have now. 

 Doubtless, future discoveries will tend to fill up the gaps between 

 all these various types, both living and extinct, and to connect 

 them together in one chain of evolution. 



The last great find of Moa-birds in New Zealand took place 

 only last year, and was reported by a correspondent to the 

 Scotsman (November 13, 1891), writing from Oamaru. In the 

 letter that appeared at the above date, our friend Mr. H. O. 

 Forbes announces the discovery of an immense number of bones, 

 estimated to represent at least five hundred Moas ! They were 

 found in the neighbourhood of Oamaru. And, after some pre- 

 liminary remarks, he continues as follows : 



" The part of the field on which the remains were found bears 

 no traces of any physical disturbance e.g. of earthquake, or 

 flood, or hurricane that would account for the sudden destruc- 

 tion of a flock or ' mob ' of Moas. The Moa, when alive, carried 

 in its crop like our own hens a quantity of stones to serve as 

 a private coffee-mill for digestive grinding; stones which, being 

 somewhat in proportion to the magnitude of the giant bird, form, 

 when found in one place, a ' heap ' of stones which are easily 

 identified as a Moa heap, and nothing else. And in the present 

 case the heap was here and there found in such relation to the 

 bones of an individual bird as to show that the Moa must have 

 died on that spot, and remained there quietly undisturbed. 

 Further, the number of birds represented by the exhumed remains 

 is so great that the living birds could not have stood together on 

 the space of ground on which the remains were found lying. And 



