454 



Correspondence. 



stone, materials for roads, and the probable or positive position 

 of metalliferous or coal bearing rocks." 



Extract of a Letter from Dr. H. FALcoNEa, dated London, 

 August 5th 1843. 



" One of the Missionaries in New Zealand sent home a bone which 

 was stated to have been dug out of recent mud, and considered by 

 the natives as belonging to a bird of huge size, which their fathers 

 are reported to have hunted, and the place is shewn where the last 

 one known was killed. It was sent to Mr. Owen, by whom it has 

 been lately examined ; it proves to be the tibia of a Struthceus bird 

 with three toes, and most nearly allied to the Apteryx or Casuary of 

 Australasia. I have seen the bone which is nearly perfect, and mea- 

 sured it. It is 28| inches long, and the lower articulation is 5 inches 

 across ! ! The same bone of the Ostrich seen alongside of it looks 

 wonderfully small ; and well it may, for this bird must have stood 16 

 feet high. Owen has called it the Dinoryx, and supposes it possible, 

 that the bird is still alive in some of the remote parts of New Zealand." 



Dr. Falconer also refers to a collection of Fossils from New Zea- 

 land, in which they have discovered the bones of gigantic Kangaroos, 

 some of those which he saw approached to the Mastodon in size. 

 They probably, he thinks, belonged to marsupial animals, with fanged 

 teeth like the Tapir. Dr. Falconer states, that from conversations 

 he has had with Mr. Owen and Mr. Lyell, it appears there is no- 

 thing certain known of the extreme limit of growth attained by the 

 Crocodiles of the Ganges and other animals ; Dr. Falconer suggests, 

 that parties in India, who have opportunities of ascertaining points 

 of this nature exactly, would confer a great benefit on science by con- 

 tributing well authenticated dimensions of large Crocodiles, &c. which 

 they may have measured, to our Journal, It is supposed by some 

 that there is an intermediate species of large Crocodile in the rivers of 

 India, between the long-nosed and short-nosed kinds. Further testi- 

 mony on this point would also be deeply interesting. We need not 

 add how happy we should be to give any such communications in- 

 sertion. We would recommend the subject particularly to corres- 

 pondents in Assam, where we know the number of Crocodiles to be 

 very great. 



