446 Bibliographical Notices. 



ganic remains of it brought away. The Dodo, on the contrary, is 

 always named as having been found in the same region ; is told of 

 as no fearful thing, but as one very easy to be killed, though less 

 easy to be eaten, but of which, nevertheless, very many were from 

 time to time both killed and eaten by those who found it. Finally, 

 actual relics of the creature were brought away and still exist. The 

 genuineness and truthfulness of Savery's pictures of the Dodo seem 

 to us to be fully and clearly shown, and every naturalist must, we 

 think, feel that now, at least, we have satisfactory materials on which 

 to work. And this should lead us to notice the other part of the 

 work, the whole of which is valuable for the minute details which it 

 affords, both by descriptions and figures of unsurpassed beauty, of 

 the osteology of the Dodo. 



With respect to the affinities which it is the object of this book 

 to establish as those of the Dodo, it would be impossible, in a brief 

 review, to enter into the discussion of the question. The patience 

 and ability displayed in working out the osteological details will be 

 admitted by every one, whether or not the special conclusions urged 

 may be accepted. One or two remarks as to those conclusions may 

 however be allowed us, without its being considered that we would 

 wish to lessen any of the just weight which may belong to the 

 points actually specified. Without discussing, then, the comparative 

 anatomy itself of the Dodo, we must confess that the impression left 

 on our mind after a careful perusal of this book was, that it is in- 

 conceivable that the whole matter can be so very clear, the columbine 

 affinities so very obvious and unmistakeable, as is here represented. 

 We would notice this point earnestly, inasmuch as every truth- 

 seeker must feel that science is perpetually suffering much through 

 a too eager haste in the attempt to establish some novel conclusion. 

 When the undisputed success of the manifold researches of Prof. Owen 

 is remembered, it would reflect little upon him that, in the case of the 

 Dodo, or any other individual case, he should have erred. But when 

 the care and caution upon which alone that success has depended 

 and must depend are also remembered, and when it is known that 

 to the anatomy of the Dodo he has devoted express attention, and, 

 having devoted that attention, has arrived at a conclusion different 

 from that of our authors, — though with less expression of confidence 

 and certainty, — we cannot but feel satisfied that, be he right or 

 be he wrong in his conclusions, it is at any rate too much now to 

 say that " the only points in which the Dodo can be said to differ 

 materially from the type of the Pigeons are few in number, and are 

 not such as to make any approximation to the Raptorial form " 

 (p. 45), and that " the whole or a majority " of " the family charac- 

 ters of the skull in the Columbidse " (p. 75) are found so obviously 

 in that of the Dodo, while it " differs from that of the Vuituridee " 

 (ib.) in a long enumeration of " important and characteristic distinc- 

 tions." No one can have engaged in the close investigation of any 

 branch of natural history, or indeed anything else, earnestly seek- 

 ing the truth, and not have felt how easy it is, when once a parti- 

 cular idea has been taken up, to detect in every minute and barely 

 distinguishable point imagined corroborations of that idea, while 



