124 ME. J. T. LAST ON THE BONES OF .ffiPYOKNIS. [Feb. 6, 



From what is already known, the ^Epyornis may be considered 

 as having had a range over the whole, or nearly the whole, of the 

 southern half of Madagascar. This is proved by the fact that its 

 remains have been found at Sira-be, a place situated in about lat. 

 19° 50' 8. Twice I have known its bones to have been found near 

 Morondava, a small town on the W. coast iu about lat. 20° 20' S. 

 An egg was also found at Mtinaujara on the east coast in about 

 lat. 21° 10' S. These discoveries are sufficient to prove that the 

 bird occupied more or less the whole of the southern half of 

 Madagascar. 



I do not believe that the whole of this large tract of country was 

 equally overrun by these birds, but rather that their numbers were 

 much greater in the south and south-western parts than in the 

 more northerly and eastern parts. This is shown, I think, by the 

 fact that, excepting an egg found at Mananjara, few or no remains 

 have been found in south-east Madagascar, but that nearly all the 

 remains that have been brought to light up to the present have 

 been discovered in the south and south-western parts. That the 

 birds were more plentiful in the south and south-west parts of 

 the island may be inferred from the abundance of broken egg- 

 shells which are to be found on the rocky sides of the range of 

 hills on the S.W. coast, whereas I do not remember having heard 

 or read that there were such broken egg-shells on the S.E. 

 coast. All the unbroken eggs have, almost without exception, 

 been found on the south or $. W. coast. About two years ago I 

 heard of a specimen which was picked up floating about on the 

 Morondava Eiver, near its mouth ; but this is the only instance, 

 so far as 1 know, of one being found north of St. Augustin's Bay. 



Regarding my own operations in searching after fossils, I think 

 it will be better if, in the first place, I describe my work in the 

 Manansua district of the Antinosi country, in south central 

 Madagascar, about long. 45° E. and lat. 23° !S. It was only 

 after two or three unsuccessful attempts to enter the country that 

 I was at last able to do so, through the friendship of Befanatriki, 

 one of the Antinosi kings, who being about to return to his own 

 country permitted me to accompany him. The journey occupied 

 us eight days. On arrival at the king's chief town I was given a 

 house to use till I could make myself one more suitable. This 

 building-work occupied me some time, and in going about with 

 men to collect material I came across several places which appeared 

 to me likely to be fossilil'erous. On making inquiries of the 

 natives, 1 was told that there were many bones, large and small, in 

 the peaty flats where they make their rice gardens, but they did 

 not know to what animal the bones had belonged. After nego- 

 tiating with the king for awhile, he allowed me to dig about on 

 one of the uncultivated bogs alongside the Ifunsi Biver. The soil 

 met with was black and clayey above, then we came to a layer 

 of whitish marly soil, followed by a friable kind of light grey lime- 

 stone, resting on fine-grained red sandstone. The fossils found 

 were chiefly bones of Crocodiles, Hippopotami, broken tortoise- 



