CURIOUS CREATURES. 183 



wonderful things to tell the Great Kaan about those 

 strange islands, and about the birds I have mentioned. 

 They brought (as I heard) to the Great Kaan, a feather 

 of the said Rue, which was stated to measure 90 

 Spans, whilst the quill part was two palms in circum- 

 ference, a marvellous object ! The Great Kaan was 

 delighted with it, and gave great presents to those 

 who brought it." 



This quill seems rather large ; other travellers, how- 

 ever, perhaps not so truthful as Ser Marco, speak of 

 these enormous quills. The Moa of New Zealand 

 (Dinornis giganteus) is supposed to have been the largest 

 bird in Creation and next to that is the sEpyorms 

 maximus whose bones and egg have been found in 

 Madagascar. An egg is in the British Museum, and it 

 has a liquid capacity of 2.35 gallons, but, alas, for the 

 quill story this bird was wingless. 



The Condor has been put forward as the real and 

 veritable Rue, but no living specimens will compare with 

 this bird as it has been described especially if we take 

 the picture of it in Lane's "Arabian Nights," where it 

 is represented as taking up three elephants, one in its 

 beak, and one in each of its claws. 



The Japanese have a legend of a great bird which 

 carried off men and there is a very graphic picture 

 now on view at the White Wing of the British Museum, 

 where one of these birds, having seized a man, frightens, 

 very naturally, the whole community. 



THE PHCENIX. 



Pliny says of the Phoenix : "^Ethiopia and India, more 

 especially produce birds of diversified plumage, and such 



