12 



Mantell, of Wellington, New Zealand, has recorded his observation 

 of an egg of a Dinornis found in the volcanic sand, of the magnitude 

 of which he endeavours to give an idea by stating that his hat would 

 have been but large enough to have served as an egg-cup for it. 



The fragments of the egg of Dinornis or Palapteryx — of what 

 species, of course, cannot be determined — show, after arriving ap- 

 proximatively at their size by the curve of the fragments, that the 

 shell was not only absolutely thinner, but relatively much thinner 

 than in the Ostrich, and a fortiori than in the Mpyornis. The air- 

 pores, also, have a different form, being hnear, not rounded ; and the 

 external surface is smoother. 



In the smoothness and thinness of the shell, the egg of the Dinor- 

 nis resembles that of the Apterxjx : in the thickness of the shell and 

 the comparative roughness of its exterior, the egg of the JEpyornis 

 more resembles that of the Ostrich and Cassowary. 



Such colour — a dull greyish yellow, as the originals of the eggs of 

 the JEpyornis now at Paris show — may well have been derived from 

 the recent alluvial soil in which it is stated that they were discovered : 

 the darker stain on one part of the circumference of the larger egg 

 seems to have been due to some accidental circumstance. Most pro- 

 bably they were originally white, like the eggs of the Ostrich, and Uke 

 the fragments of the eggs of the Dinornis : whether an original green 

 tint, like that of the egg of the Emu 'and Cassowary, would be wholly 

 discharged by long continuance in the soil, may be a question. 



It is most probable that the entire eggs of the Mpyornis were ex- 

 cluded in the usual fertile state, but had suffered such want or inter- 

 ruption of the heat requisite for their incubation as to have become 

 addled. 



How hazardous it is to judge of the size of a bird by that of its 

 egg would appear. Prof. Owen observed, by the remarks which he 

 should next proceed to offer on the eggs of the Apteryx. Of these 

 the Professor exhibited one entire specimen, and a nearly fully incu- 

 bated chick from a second egg, both of which had been most hberally 

 transmitted to him by the Rev. Wm. Cotton, M.A., from the North 

 Island of New Zealand. 



Had it not been for the demonstration afforded by the chick itself, 

 it might well have been doubted whether so small a bird could have 

 excluded so large an egg. The following are the dimensions of the 

 egg(Aves, Pl.XLVI.):— 



Egg of Apteryx. 

 ft. in. lin. 



Greatest longitudinal circumference 1 9 



Greatest transverse circumference 10 



Length 4 10 



Breadth 3 2 



The egg presents the usual long oval form, the colour a didl dirty 

 greyish white ; but this is partly due to grease stains from the de- 

 composition of an mcompletely hatched chick, with its yolk, within. 



Viewed under a moderately magnifying power the surface presents 

 a very fine fibrous, or spicular character ; the raised lines, like spiculse. 



