52 PROFESSOR OWEN ON THE 



rewards for such ; and I have consulted with the late Dr. Ayres as to the spots most 

 likely to contain them. We agreed that the floods which sweep the hUl-sides and the 

 ravines in the rainy season would be most likely to carry any remains into the sea ; 

 and this would doubtless have been the case here, but for the stoppage occasioned by 

 the sand-down. (Signed) " George Clakk. 1865." 



The above " Statement " was authenticated by the following testimony : — 

 " Having visited the place with Mr. Clark, 1 can vouch for the truth of the facts 

 herein mentioned. (Signed) " William Thomas Banks, 



" Civil Chaplain, Mauritius." 

 "The Kev. W. T. Banks, CivU Chaplain at Mahebourg, in this diocese, and Mr. 

 George Clark, Master of the Government School at Mahebourg, are well known to me, 

 and deserving implicit credit for their statements as to matters of fact. 



(Signed) "Vincent N. Mauritius. Oct. 6, 1865." 



§ 2. Description of the Bones. 



The bones of the Dodo {IHdus ineptus, Linn.) discovered by Mr. Clark, under the 



above ch-cumstances, which have reached me up to the present date (December 20th, 



1865) are the follownng: — 



Name. Number of bones or parts. 



Cranium and lower jaw, in parts 14 



Vertebrae and pelvis 30 



Eibs 22 



Sternum 2 



Scapular arch, in parts 7 



Humerus, ulna, radius 6 



Femora 5 



Tibiffi 6 



Fibulae 4 



Metatarsals 4 



Total number of parts of skeleton of the Dodo 100 



The known characters of the skull and metatarsus of the Didus ineptus served to 

 identify those bones as belonging to that species : the agreement in relative size, colour, 

 condition, and locality left no room for hesitation in referring the other bones in the 

 above list to the same species^ They belong, however, to four- or five individuals 



' So determined, subsequent sets of bones transmitted from the Mauritius, and from which I was privileged to 

 select the most perfect specimens for the present memoir, got into the market and were sold by auction since the 

 present memoir was in type, as bones of the Dodo. I have to express my sincere and grateful acknowledgements 

 to those gentlemen into whose hands these lots have fallen, who have forborne their own advantage and refrained 

 from rushing into print with figures from inferior specimens to anticipate the appearance of a memoir notified 



