70 



APTERYX. 



bare : circuit of the body, just above the legs, two 

 feet ten inches ; round the neck at the throat, eleven 

 inches and a half ; round the base of the beak four 

 inches and a half : length of foot seven inches : toes 

 three in number ; all placed forwards j colour yellow : 

 toes and webs nearest the claws brown-black y the rest 

 yellow : the webs continue quite to the claws, which are 

 nearly straight : claws black. Native place unknown." 



The third and last of these singular animals is that 

 most surprising bird the Apteryx of Shaw, w^hich, as 

 its name implies, is totally destitute of wings : the 

 following are Shaw's characters. 



APTERYX. APTERYX. 



Rostrum longum, gracile, 

 rectiusculum, basi cera tec- 

 tum, sulco tubulato laterali 

 utrinque exaratum, apice 

 subtumido subincurvo. 



Nares P lineares, inconspi- 

 cuas, prope apicem rostri, 

 ad finem sulci tubulati. 



Alee rudimenta tan turn, mo- 

 nodactyla, subunciali, un- 

 guiculo terminali. 



Pedes compedes, breves, va- 

 lidi, gallinacei, tetradac- 

 tyli ; digito postico subin- 

 teriore, brevissimp^ 



Cauda nulla. 



BeaJc long, slender, nearly 

 straight, covered at the 

 base by a cere, marked on 

 each side by a tubular fur- 

 row, slightly swelled and 

 bent at the tip. 



Nostrils F linear, inconspi- 

 cuous, near the tip of the 

 beak, at the end of the tu- 

 bular furrow. 



Wings rudiments only, con- 

 sisting of a single joint or 

 finger, about an inch in 

 length, and terminated by 

 a small claw or spur. 



Feet comped, short, strong, 

 gallinaceous, and tetradac- 

 tyle; the Jiinder or sub- 

 interior toe very short. 



Tailmner 



