Aves — The Ostrich, JEpyornis, Auk, etc. 



93 



In the same case also are the remains of other Eocene birds, 

 including Palceortyx Blanchardi from the Eocene of Montrnartre, 

 Paris, and other species of the same genus from the later 

 phosphorite deposits of Caylux, France, where also the peculiar 

 genus JEgialornis occurs. 



The remains of birds are ratber more numerous in the 

 Miocene and Xewer Tertiary deposits, though seldom abundant. 

 Perbaps the most interesting are the bones of an Ostrich 

 5 "thio asiaticus), found in the Older Pliocene sandstone of 

 the Siwalik Hills, India, showing the once far wider geogra- 

 phical range of tbis great running bird. The same deposit has 

 yielded remains of a huge Crane, Leptoptilus (Argala) Falconeri. 

 Here are also remains of the Pelican from Steinheim, in 

 Bavaria; of a large bird of the duck family (Anas oeningensis) , 

 from the Miocene freshwater limestone of Oeningen, Switzer- 

 land, also impressions of feathers from Oeningen and from the 

 Brown Coal of Bonn, on the Rhine. A very large number of 

 bird bones are obtained from the Miocene deposits of various 

 parts of France : from Allier there are remains of Palcelodus 

 and Phwnicopterus, both flamingo-like birds, numerous gulls, 

 plovers, a species of Ibis, and some ducks. From La Grive-St.- 

 Alban come a large pheasant, numerous owls and many other 

 forms. 



Here also are exhibited bird remains from various caverns 

 and superficial deposits. 



In the ^Vall-case between the windows at the south-east 

 corner of the pavilion are placed numerous bones of JEpyornis, 

 the extinct gigantic bird of Madagascar. Several species are 

 represented in the collection, the largest being 2E. titan, which 

 possessed extraordinarily massive legs. Specimens of the eggs 

 of these birds are placed in case RR. The largest measures 

 three feet in its longest circumference and two feet six inches 

 in girth, and its liquid contents equal a little more than two 

 gallons. These eggs are much larger than those of Dinornis, 

 examples of which are exhibited in Table-case 12. 



In Wall-case 25 also are placed casts of the limb-bones of 

 the great extinct bird, Brontornis, from the middle Tertiary 

 beds of Patagonia, South America. In the lower portion of the 

 same case are exhibited numerous bones of the Dodo (Ditlus) 

 and the Solitaire (Pezophaps), large extinct flightless pigeons 

 from the islands of Mauritius and Rodriguez respectively. 



In a small separate case near the last is exhibited a nearly 

 complete skeleton of the great Auk (Alca impennis) from Funk 

 Island off Newfoundland, where formerly this bird bred in large 

 numbers : now it is entirely extinct. A coloured reproduction of 

 the egg of this bird is also placed in the same case. 



In Table-case, No. 13a, are remains of a gigantic goose 

 (Onemiornis) and of a land Coot or Rail (Notornis) ; also of 



Table-case, 

 No. 13. 



The Ostrich, 

 in India. 



C arinate 

 birds. 



Wall-case, 

 No. 25. 



Table-case, 

 No. 13a. 



