■DISTRIBUTION OF AVES IN TIME. 507 



produced these impressions — whether Avian or Reptilian — 

 must have been of gigantic size. 



The first unmistakable remains of a bird have been found 

 in the Solenhofen Slates of Bavaria, of the age -of the Upper 

 Oolites. A single unique specimen, consisting of bones and 

 feathers, but unfortunately without the skull, is all that has 

 hitherto been discovered ; and it has been named the Archm- 

 opteryx macrura. The characters of this singular and aberrant 

 bird, which alone constitutes the order Saurura, have been 

 already given, and need not be repeated here. 



Other doubtful remains of birds have been alleged to occur 

 in the Mesozoic series, but many of these certainly belong in 

 reality to Pterodactyles. In th,e Cretaceous rocks, however, of 

 the United States, occur the bones of several Wading Birds 

 (Laornis, Telmatornis, and Palmotringd). 



In the Tertiary rocks, however, there are, comparatively 

 speaking, many remains of birds. In the Eocene rocks of 

 France has been found a large bird, as big as an Ostrich, the 

 so-called Gastomis Parisiensis ; and in England, in the same 

 formation, we have a small Vulture (Lithomis vulturinus), and 

 a King-fisher {Halcyornis toliapicus). In the Eocene of Glaris, 

 in Switzerland, occurs also the oldest known Insessorial or 

 Passerine bird, the Protornis Glarisiensis, which was about as 

 big as a lark. 



Numerous remains of birds have likewise been found in the 

 Miocene and Pliocene deposits. Amongst these we have 

 Parrots, Trogons, Secretary Birds, Petrels, Cranes, Guille- 

 mots, &c. With the exception, however, of the Mesozoic 

 Archceopteryx, by far the most remarkable remains of birds 

 have been found in the Post-tertiary or Pleistocene deposits. 

 All the remains now alluded to are those of gigantic wingless 

 birds ; and it is worthy of notice that they are exclusively 

 found in regions now tenanted by smaller wingless birds, 

 whilst there is reason to believe that some of them have been 

 in existence during the human period. Most of the remains 

 in question have been found in New Zealand, ■ where there 

 have been obtained the bones of several species of large wing- 

 less birds, referred by Owen to the genera Dinornis, Palap- 

 teryx, and Aptornis. The Dinornis giganteus must have been 

 one of the most gigantic of the whole class of birds, the tibia 

 measuring upwards of a yard in length, and the skeleton indi- 

 cating a bird which stood at least ten feet in height. In 

 another species, the Dinornis elephaniopus, the " framework of 

 the skeleton is the most massive of any in the whole class of 

 birds," and " the toe-bones almost rival those of the Elephant" 

 23 



