ON EXTINCT BIRDS OF THE MASCARENE ISLANDS. 367 



Neck and his successors observed the Dodo and the other birds 

 Avhich they describe. One must, therefore, suppose that Leguat 

 and his comrades, wlio passed through the wilderness lying on 

 the other side of the island, where fowling furnished them 

 without trouble with abundant food (see p. 14:7), met with our 

 gigantic bird by the rivers and marshes of these districts, while 

 they were unknown to those who from time to time landed and 

 again departed, as well as to the Europeans dwelling in the fort. 

 In Leguat's time, however, there were, besides the Europeans 

 dwelling in the fort, from thirty to furty Dutch families scattered 

 over the island and there established. They lived partly by 

 hunting, and had dogs expressly for this purpose. These 

 Europeans living apart, the dugs (which, as we have seen from 

 Leguat, easily overpowered the gigantic birds), the cats, and 

 later, perhaps, the runaway negroes, have probably thus silently 

 continued the work of destruction, and also completely extirpated 

 this remarkable animal. How quickly and secretly such a 

 destruction can be effected is proved, among other instances, by 

 the history of the different species of Dodo on the Mascarene 

 Islands. Even the great Dodo of Mauritius, first made known in 

 1598, was no more mentioned by any traveller after 1681 (see 

 Stric/iland, p. 36) ; and Leguat, who recorded so many observa- 

 tions on the productions of the countries which he visited 

 (1690-98), makes no mention of this strange bird. It must, 

 therefore, be inferred that the Dodo, when Leguat was in 

 Mauritius, was already extirpated, at least in the inhabited and 

 accessible districts of tiie island. Perhaps also the abode of this 

 bird, in contradistinction to that of the gigantic Waterhen, was 

 limited to the stony, dry places which are round the south-east 

 harbour, where it was observed in great numbers, and at which 

 spot all the accounts of this bird were obtained." 



[Leguat himself speaks of the extraordinary decrease of the 

 animals of the island, scv, p. 209.] 



[The remains of the Dodo have been since found in the 

 Mare aux Songes, a marsh near Pte. d'Esny, close by Mahebourg. 

 The remains of the Geant should be sought for in the Mare aux 

 Vacoas, or Grand Ijassin nearer the Ptiviere Noire (Zwarte Kivcr), 

 where Leguat landed in 1693.— S. P. 0.] 



