198 



The Na^turalist. 



figured under the name of Psedra diptera (Burmeister). A single 

 example of this extraordinary species, which has no near ally, was 

 captured by the late Mr. J. C. Dale, in Somersetshire, in the year 

 1843, and has remained unique as British. Mr. McLachlan says : — 



This insect, though very widely distributed in Europe, is excessively 

 rare, and I believe that not more than four or five examples are known. 

 The female, with developed posterior wings, is said to be in the 

 Berlin museum." Now this case, it must be admitted, does not prove 

 much either way ; it is only strong presumptive evidence of absolute 

 scarcity. The latter cannot be proved in this way, and the contrary 

 can only be shown by finding this species in much greater numbers. 

 Therefore, if it is said that we are only begging the question so far, we 

 must go upon another track. 



It is a fortunate thing that we have in this Society members 

 who are not entomologists only, but who have a considerable 

 acquaintance with other branches of science. Doubtless, there are 

 amongst us geologists, who will tell us that the earth was inhabited in 

 former ages by animals of various classes, insects among the number, 

 which have become extinct. Now, how did they become extinct ? 

 Was it by some great convulsion of nature 1 Possibly this may have 

 been the case with regard to many species, but there is evidence of the 

 extinction of others within a recent date, and not by any convulsion of 

 nature. In an article entitled " The Death of Species," by Edward 

 Newman, published in the Zoologist for 1868, there are enumerated, 

 among many others, the extinction of the dodo about the year 1638 ; 

 the moa, or dinornis, about 1800 ; the great auk in 1848 ; the moho, 

 a large bird of the rail tribe, in 1850 ; the nestor parrot in 1853. 

 There is only one way in which this death of species can have taken 

 place : the extinction of these birds has been going on gradually, until 

 the representative of each species has been reduced to one example 

 only. 



About the year 1865, an egg of the dinornis was discovered in New 

 Zealand ; this egg measured lOin. in length and about 7iu. in breadth. 

 It was found whilst excavating, and the pick-axe used came in contact 

 with it and broke a piece out of one side, but the fragments were « 

 preserved. Mr. Newman's note at the end of this communication is 

 as follows : — " This egg was sold by Mr. J. C. Stephens on the 24th 

 of November (1865) for JL'120." The buyer of this egg may congratu- 

 late himself on the possession of an object in Natural History of great 

 interest, and entirely unique. One might suppose that the inhabitants 

 of New Zealand were not all so rich, that the sum of £120 is iusuffi- 



