WEIGHT REMAEKS ON DODO BONES. 33 



1883, and which could not be found at the time of Professor Melville's 

 work, were afterwards discovered and described, in 1851, by Mr. Eart- 

 lett, and made it pretty certain that in Eodriguez both the Dodus in- 

 eptus and D. solitarius, as well as the species called D. Nazarenus, were 

 to be found. Eut few, if any, of the species of Dodo were brought to 

 Europe since 1833, until 1864. One specimen, picked up in a dry cave 

 in Eodriguez, had a left humerus, a left metatarsal bone, and a right 

 femur of the D. Nazarenus, which were immediately forwarded to the 

 finder's brother, Mr. (now Professor) A. Newton, of Cambridge. At 

 the meeting of the British Association last year a letter was read from 

 Mr. Edward Newton, recording the discovery of a large number of bones 

 in the same island. These belonged apparently to one species, but were of 

 two sizes, the difference being probably sexual, and made it probable that 

 D. Nazarenus and D. solitarius were but male and female of the same bird. 

 All these discoveries were made in Eodriguez, but the largest crop of true 

 Dodo bones was yet to be reaped in the Mauritius itself; and in the course 

 of last year Mr. Clarke, living at Mahebourg, found, in draining for agri- 

 cultural purposes, in a small lake, called the " Mare aux Songes," a large 

 number of the true Dodo bones, which have since arrived in London, and 

 which include almost every portion of the bird's skeleton. As the most 

 perfect series has been placed in Professor Owen's hands, we may very 

 soon expect an elaborate memoir thereof from this distinguished compa- 

 rative anatomist. The bones that Dr. Wright exhibited were from the same 

 lake in the Mauritius, and consist of the larger half of the pelvis, which 

 was very light, weighing only 1 J oz., though the whole of the air cells 

 were filled with dry mud ; of a right femur, of two right tibiae, and a 

 left metatarsus ; and, through the kindness of his friend, Dr. Carte, he 

 was also enabled to exhibit more or less perfect specimens of three left 

 tibiae and a small fragment of the left lower jaw. Dr. Wright briefly 

 compared the bones that were unknown to Dr. Melville with those of 

 one or two of the Ground Pigeons ; and said that he had little doubt but 

 that Professor Owen would refer the Dodo to a family having certain 

 affinities with, but abundantly distinct from, that of the Columbidse of 

 the order Columbse, like Apterygidse among the Struthiones. The bones 

 now discovered proved, though it should be borne in mind that this had 

 been abundantly proved before, the accuracy of Professor Melville's 

 judgment in this matter. The pelvis was unsymmetrical, the left side 

 being somewhat larger than the right, but this was probably owing to 

 unequal compression in the mud. 



The Eev. Professor Haughton made some remarks on the interest 

 of Dr. Wright's communication, and contrasted the pelvis of the Dodo, 

 with that of several species of cursorial and rasorial birds which he had 

 dissected. 



Mr. J. J. Lalor moved, and Mr. E. J. Montgomery seconded, a vote of 

 thanks to Dr. Leet, for his kindness in intrusting the Dodo bones to Dr. 

 Wright for exhibition at this meeting of the Society. 



vol. v. E 



