Mr. Duncan on the Dodo. 55d 



Latham sums up its synonymes as follows : Didusineptus^ Linn., 

 1. 267 ; Cygnus cucullatiis, Ray, Willughby, Grew ; Raphus, 

 Brisson ; Galliis gallinaceiis prregrinus, Clusius ; Le Dronte, 

 Buffon; Dod-eersen or IValgh-vogel, Herbert; Dodo, Gen. Synop. 

 To these may be added iJodar, Museum Tradescant. p. 4. 



He observes that it is probable that a specimen of the whole 

 bird was in the Museum of John Tradescant. It is certainly men- 

 tioned in his printed catalogue of stuffed skins of birds ; " Section 

 5. Whole Birds. Dodar, from the Island Mauritius ; it is not 

 able to flie being so big." This specimen afterwards passed into 

 the Ashmolean Museum. It is particularly stated by Hyde in 

 his Religionis Veterum Persarum, &c., Historia, 1700, to be then 

 existing in the Museum at Oxford ; but was destroyed at a later 

 period, 1755, by order of the Visitors. The evidence of this 

 destruction may be thus given. In the Ashmolean Catalogue, 

 made by Ed. Llhwyd, Musaei Procustos, 1684, (Plott being the 

 keeper,) the entry of the bird is No. "29. Gallus gallinaceus pere- 

 grinus Clusii, &c." In a Catalogue made subsequently to 1755, 

 it is stated " The numbers from 5 to 46, being decayed, were 

 ordered to be removed at a meeting of the majority of the Visitors, 

 Jan. 8, 1755." Among these of course was included the Dodo, 

 its number being 29. This is further shown by a new Catalogue, 

 completed in 1756, in which the order of the Visitors is recorded 



connecting species. Here we have an instance of the former existen e of a spe- 

 cies that, as tar as we can now conclude, is no longer to be found; while the 

 link which it supplied in nature was of considerable importance. Tiie bird in 

 question, from every account which we have of its economy, and from the ap- 

 pearance of its head and foot, is decidedly gallinaceous; and, from the insuffi- 

 ciency of its wings for the purposes of flight, it may with equal certainty be 

 pronounced to be of tfee Struthious structure, and referable to the present family. 

 But the foot has a strong hind toe, and, with the exception of its being more 

 robust, — in which character it still adheres to the Strutliionidee , — it corresponds 

 exactly with the foot of the Linnean genus Crax, that commences the succeed- 

 ing family. The bird thus becomes osculant, and forms a strong point of junc- 

 tion between these two conterminous groups ; which, though evidently ap- 

 proaching each other in general points of similitude, would not exhibit that 

 intimate bond of connexion which we have seen to prevail almost uniformly 

 throughout the neighbouring subdivisions of nature, were it not for the inter- 

 vention of this important genus." 



