General Bemarhs on the Struthionidce. 295 



traditions and sayings, but the dead bones of the animal 

 are abundant, and testify to a fact which no man can doubt. 



Let us look at the living wingless birds which still live in 

 the world. They appear to be a condemned race, for we 

 find the signs of decay stamped on the faces of them all, 

 and they seem to have an inborn antipathy to the human 

 race ; for wherever men appear they disappear, even with- 

 out the use of destroying agencies. The Ostrich selects his 

 residence in places where men can scarcely live, namely, 

 under a burning sun, and on sandy deserts. The American 

 Rhea vegetates in secluded places, and is seen with diffi- 

 culty, for they can perceive the approach of men, when the 

 eyes of men cannot observe them. The Emu is fast disap- 

 pearing before the Anglo-Saxon colonization of Australia. 

 The Apteryx selects the most secluded places to live in, and 

 the Cassowary is very rare in the few islands where it is 

 known to be indigenous. 



It would seem that this strange species of animals — birds 

 without wings ! — were created to live in solitary places far 

 away from the haunts of men. They may have been created 

 at a period long prior to that of the higher order of quad- 

 rupeds, for we see the marks of their feet in sandstones of 

 an early date. 



New Zealand appears, according to the testimony of the 

 natives, in former days to have abounded in Saurian rep- 

 tiles of immense size. There were no land Mammalia on 

 the islands,* but many birds, ferns, and fern-like plants. 

 Some growing to the height of sixty feet are found covering 

 a great part of the north island, and the largest and most 

 abundant timber-trees, belonging to the Coniferse, are here 

 in great plenty, and earthquakes are not unfrequent. 



Auckland, New Zealand, July 12, 1853. 



* The dog, rat, and bat, are perhaps introduced. 



