STRUTHIONID^. 



809 



blue, except the end of the upper mandible, which is 

 yellowish, with a red spot on the head of it ; the 

 end of the lower blackish : irides white : the general 

 colour of the plumage is cinereous, and soft to the 

 touch ; the belly and thighs whitish : the head large, 

 and seems as if it were covered with a black hood or 

 cowl : the wings are very short, and of a yellowish 

 ash-colour : the tail-feathers arched, stand up on the 

 rump, and incline to yellow, like the wings : the 

 legs have four toes, three before and one behind ; 

 are very short, and yellowish ; claws black. 



A painting by Edwards, who furnishes us with 

 the above description, is in the British Museum. 



Sp. 2. Di. solitarius. Gmel. Syst. Nat. i. 728. — Lath. Ind. Orn. 

 li. p. ()62. 



Di. griseo fuscoque varius; alis ahbreviatis ; alulis g'lbbosis. 

 Dodo varied with grey and brown ; the wings abbreviated, the 



bastard wing gibbous, 

 Le Solitaire. Buff. Hist. Nat. Ois. v. i. p. 485. — Lcgual Voy. 



V. i. p. 98. pi. 

 Solitary Dodo. Lath. Gen. Syn. v. v. p. 3. 



Inhabits the Isle of Rodrique, where it is said 

 not to be uncommon : it is a large bird, and the 

 male is affirmed to weigh sometimes forty-five pounds : 

 it has some relation to the Turkey, as the beak 

 and legs are like that bird's, but the beak is more 

 bent, and it stands higher on the legs : the neck is 

 of a proportionable length, and the eye black and 

 lively : the head is not crested ; and the general 

 colour of the plumage is grey and brown mixed : it 

 has scarce any tail ; and the bastard wing swells out 

 into a round knob : the wings are too short for 



