1868.1 



Osteology of the Solitaire. 



431 



rant as tlie Bididce, whicli must be looked upon as the most remotely con- 

 nected of the order Columbse. Strickland was amply justified in arriving 

 at the conclusion that the Solitaire of Rodriguez was generically distinct 

 from the Dodo ; but it seems expedient to define his genus Pezophajis more 

 precisely. Accordingly the following characters are assigned to it : — 



Rostrum mediocre, curvatum, processu nasali et ramis maxillaribus antice 

 divergentibus. Frons plana, porca osseo-cancellata circumdata. Ossa 

 coracoidea robusta. Alae breves, involatiles. Manus singulis bullis osseo- 

 callosis armatae. Collum et pedes longiores. 



In like manner the genus Didus may be defined : — 



Rostrum magnum, aduncum, processu nasali et ramis maxillaribusa ntice 

 convergentibus. Frons tumida, in umbonem hypoconicum osseo-cancel- 

 latum surgens. Ossa coracoidea attenuata, scapulas obtuse attingentia. 

 Alae breves, involatiles. Manus inermes. Collum et pedes breviores. 



The account given by Leguat of his Solitaire is then quoted in full, as 

 also that of d'Heguerty, the latter from Strickland, and the authors pro- 

 ceed to remark upon the different causes of extinction of species within 

 historic time. This, when effected by man's agency, is seldom done by 

 man's will ; and various cases are cited to support this opinion. In extir- 

 pating species man generally acts indirectly ; and they succumb to forces 

 set in motion indeed by him, but without a thought on his part of their effect. 

 In the case of the extinction of the Solitaire of Rodriguez, the cause usually 

 suggested seems inadequate ; and the authors consider it was probably 

 effected by feral Swine, and quote a remarkable passage from an old French 

 Voyage, showing the extraordinary abundance of these creatures in Mauri- 

 tius, where, in or about the year 1 708, above fifteen hundred had been 

 slain in one day. It is plain that where these abounded inactive birds 

 could not long survive. It is supposed that the case was the same in 

 Rodriguez as in Mauritius ; for in every country newly discovered by Euro- 

 peans, it has been an almost universal custom to liberate Pigs, and there is 

 no reason to believe that the island first named was an exception thereto. 



The extraordinary fidelity of Leguat' s account of the Solitaire is next con- 

 sidered. It is borne out in every point save one, perhaps, by a study of the 

 remains. The rugose surface at the base of the maxilla, the convexity of 

 the pelvis, the somewhat lighter weight of the Solitaire than of the Dodo, its 

 capacity for running, and, above all, the extraordinary knob on the wing, all 

 agree with the description he has given us. The authors attempt also to 

 account for the origin of this last by observing that its appearance is so 

 exactly that of diseased bone, that it may have been first of all occasioned 

 by injuries received by the birds in such combats with one another as Leguat 

 mentions, and aggravated by the continuance of their pugnacity-. The 

 authors remark, also, that it is the habit of Pigeons to fight by buffeting 

 with their pinions. 



The particular in which Leguat may have erred is in the assertion, or 

 perhaps rather inference, as to the monogamous habits of the Solitaire ; and 



