ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 831 
the crest of the Hova government, and an immense figure of the 
bird crowns the roof of the two chief royal palaces at Antananarivo. 
is a kingfisher with a lovely purplish blue body, a yellow breast, 
and a scarlet throat; a weaver-finch about the size of a lark, which 
the marshes there are numerous Gralle and Galline, such as 
can find plenty of occupation. Of characteristic African 
Mr. Wallace enumerates the plantain-eaters, glossy starlings, ox- 
ts ls 
and birds of paradise. At the present day there is no ostrich, 
emu, or cassowar own in the 1 ; ¢ 
found of at least three Struthionide, one of which, the Aipyornis, 
had an egg a foot long and nine inches the shorter diameter, with 
@ capacity six or seven times that of the ostrich, and 140 times that 
of an ordinary barn-door fowl. 
i i i ad Tropical Asia, are absent. Lizards are 
chi ama A y African or widely-spread 
tropical families. There are some species of two American genera 
of Iguanide, and that family, except for these, is entirely restricted 
erica; and a genus of Geckoes, which also inhabits America 
alia ) 
and troublesome ; and there are severat . 
= . - . . 8, Ww ic ] 
Redes: Be whiall oti survives in the small uninhabited 
4° further north. There are oe oes 
i i ical gardens, of whic 
specimens of this huge creature at the zoological g , 
the male is between fe and six feet long, rather broader than long, 
