364 APPENDIX. 



drawing of Leguat also has its evident faults. In inspecting 

 my copy of this figure, enlarged to the natural size, it is directly 

 obvious that the body, instead of being the size of that of a 

 Goose^ (as Leguat's description says), almost equals that of an 

 African Ostrich. It is quite possible that the head, which is 

 very often represented by the best artists as too big proportion- 

 ately, is also too big hei'e, and consequently that the neck should 

 be thinner. The same I'emark is perhaps to be made witli 

 regard to the feet, which should bo longer just as much as the 

 body is too thick. As it, however, would be very presumptuous 

 to make further inferences in this respect from pure analogies, 

 we limit ourselves here to these remarks. But in order to make 

 them moi'e obvious to the eye, we have prepared a new drawing 

 of this bird of the natural size, in which we have introduced the 

 corrections just mentioned. We have here represented the bird 

 in profde (see fig. p. 365), that one may gain a better idea of this 

 animal — especially as Leguat has so drawn the tail (apparently 

 that it might be better shown), and not half or three-fourths 

 turned, as are the remaining parts. 



" When we compare this bird with other species of the Water- 

 hen — (or Rail) — family, we shall observe that, although con- 

 structed precisely on their ground-plan, it differs from them in 

 several respects, especially in its gigantic size, its tall figure, its 

 long neck, its proportionally very small body, and its white 

 colour. One might, for the first three reasons, principally, 

 regard it as representing the Crane-form among the Waterhens. 

 Notwithstanding that it far exceeded in height even the largest of 

 marsh-birds, its weight would yet be, in proportion to this 

 extraordinary height, but ver^^ little, and with the help of its 

 long toes it would consequently be able, as the Water-hens do, 

 to run over marshy plains without sinking. 



1 " There arises, however, with me the question whether in this 

 comparison Leguat meant the body with, or (as sportsmen often do) 

 without the feathers. In the last probable case, the body will have 

 had, as occurs in the Waterhens, from their long and loose feathers, a 

 much more considerable bulk than that of a Goose, the feathers of 

 which are short and closely compressed." 



