33° CHARADRIIFORMES chap. 



Berlin (1626), Vienna (1628), the Hague, Pommersfelden, 

 Stuttgart, and London, the last-named belonging to the Zoological 

 Society. The British Museum also possesses an undated picture, 

 another is at Haarlem, a third at Oxford ; while one by Goiemare 

 at Sion House (dated 1627), and one said to be by Hoefnagel in 

 the library of the late Emperor of Austria (circa 1620) were pos- 

 sibly taken from living birds. In 1628 Englishmen appeared on 

 the scene, Emanuel Altham having sent a specimen home alive to 

 ^ his brother, while Herbert, accompanying the same fleet, mentioned 

 the Dodo and figured it. About 1634 an example was given to 

 the Anatomy School at Oxford by a Mr. Gosling, and some four 

 years later Sir Hamon Lestrange saw a captive bird in London. 

 Finally, we may note that individuals existed in Mauritius until 

 1681, as proved by the journal of Benjamin Harry. 



In 1865 the discovery of a large quantity of remains in the 

 Mare aux Songes, by Mr. G. Clark, enabled Owen and others to 

 confirm the suggestion of the Danish naturalist, Eeinhardt, of 

 the Dodo's af&nity to the Pigeons; while in 1889 M. Sauzier, 

 acting for the Government of Mauritius, sent to the late Sir 

 Edward Ifewton a series of bones from the same spot, enabling 

 the first correctly restored and properly mounted skeleton to be 

 returned for the museum of that island, and the important paper, 

 noticed above, to be published by the last-named and Dr. Gadow. 

 Nearly perfect specimens exist at Cambridge, in the British 

 Museum, and at Paris. 



The Dodo is said to have inhabited forests, to have swallowed 

 pebbles, to have uttered a cry like that of a gosling, and to have 

 laid one large white egg on a mass of grass. Hogs and other 

 imported animals seem to have conduced to its extermination, 

 as well as the hand of man. 



Didus borbonieus had white plumage, varied with yellow, the 

 first four primaries being directed forwards and downwards. It is 

 mentioned by Tatton (1625), Du Bois (1669), and Carre (1699) ; 

 while Bontekoe (1646) gave a figure apparently intended to 

 represent it, and another by Pierre Witthoos (ob. 1693) was in 

 existence a few years ago. It was originally called the Solitaire, 

 but this name was also applied to Pezophaps solitarius of Eodriguez 

 by the Huguenot exile Leguat, who described and figured the 

 latter about 1691. Pezophaps was subsequently briefly noticed 

 by D'Heguerty (1751) and again by Pingre (1761), who heard 



