WARD’S NATURAL SCIENCE BULLETIN. 
11 
Eggs of Apteryx. 
Among the specimens recently received from 
Prof. Ward are two eggs of the New Zealand 
Kiwi, or Apteryx, representing the species Oweni 
and Mantelli. The Apteryx itself presents a most 
odd appearance, having only the merest rudi- 
ments of wings — a peculiarity which has gained 
for it its name — and a plumage more resembling 
hair than feathers. This singular bird was for- 
merly quite common in New Zealand, but is now 
in a fair way of becoming extinct, for although 
its nocturnal habits and remarkable fleetness of 
foot may make it more than a match for the na- 
tive hunter, yet even these cannot save it from 
the white man and his attendant, the dog. 
The egg of the Apteryx is almost as unique as 
its parent, for while the bird weighs only about 
four pounds, yet the weight of the egg is from 
fourteen to fifteen ounces, or nearly one-fourth 
the weight of the bird itself. The egg of A. 
Oweni is a regular oval, tapering considerably 
toward the small end, and measures 121 mm - in 
long and 81 ram - in short diameter. 
A. Mantelli is a more elongated oval, tapering 
less at the small end, and measuring 129 lum - in 
long and 79.5 mra - in short diameter. The shells 
of both species are smooth and of a dirty white 
color. 
The addition of these two species completes 
our already rich series of the Slruthiones, as fol- 
lows: 
Struthio camelus — N. African Ostrich $3 50 
Struthio camelus ( meridionalis ) — S. African 
Ostrich — - 3 00 
Rhea Americana— American Ostrich 3 00 
Bromaius Nova Hollandm — Emeu. .. 2 50 
Casuarius Bennetii — Cassowary 3 50 
Apteryx Mantelli — Apteryx 25 00 
Apteryx Oweni — Apteryx (cracked) 6 00 
Apteryx Oweni — Apteryx (cast,) 1 00 
Binoris — Moa (cast); length of egg 9 in 2 50 
Special Offers. 
We desire to call particular attention to our 
two sets of cheap eggs for amateur collectors. 
These eggs have been carefully selected, and 
form systematic series of the most characteristic 
species throughout the different orders and fami- 
lies, giving any one an opportunity to secure a 
large variety of desirable eggs at far less than 
catalogue rates. 
These series, well labeled and carefully packed, 
will be sent, postage or express prepaid, to any 
address in the United States on receipt of price: 
Set A. American Eggs — 25 species for $5.00. 
Set B. Foreign Eggs — 35 species for $5.00. 
A list of the species contained in these series 
will be sent on application. 
Barbarous Cruelty to Fishes. — The So- 
ciety for the Prevention of Cruelty to Ani- 
mals should memorialize the Government authori- 
ties of Hong Kong on the above subject. The 
Chinese flsli mongers in the public market of 
that city invariably keep their fish alive until 
sold, but the manner of it is simply barbarous. 
The fish, usually of small size, are kept in tubs 
with just enough water to cover the gasping, 
writhing mass and keep the victims from dying 
outright. A hundred fish will be kept alive 
with two or three gallons of water and remain on 
the point of suffocation for days. One has only 
to look upon a tub full of those wretched little 
creatures and see them miserably dying by 
inches to realize how refined human cruelty can 
become, and still be permitted under the au- 
thority of humane Englishmen. The attention 
of the Hong Kong authorities was publicly 
called to the above facts in 1879, but without 
apparent effect. W. T. H. 
THE APTERYX. 
At present four, or possibly five, species of this 
singular bird are known, all of which are from 
New Zealand. These are as follows: 
Apteryx australis, Middle Island. 
“ Mantelli , North Island. 
“ Oweni, Middle Island. 
“ maxima, Middle Island. 
“ Haasti, Middle Island; 
Of A. Haasti but three specimens have reached 
Europe and of A. maxima none, only two being 
recorded. This bird is said to be as large as a 
turkey. Strictly speaking the Apteryx is not 
wingless, but the wings being only three inches in 
their entire length, are so completely hidden by 
the dense, soft feathers with which the bird is 
clad that it is no easy task to find them. These 
birds are strictly nocturnal in their habits, com- 
ing out at night in search of the worms and in- 
sects on which they feed. Their favorite haunts 
are among the dense fern thickets of the uplands, 
where, when pursued by dogs, they take refuge 
among the roots or hide in the crevices of the 
rocks. Tlieir retiring and nocturnal habits are 
their only protection and almost the sole reason 
why they have not been exterminated. As it is 
they have rapidly diminished in numbers since 
the islands were colonized, and year by year it 
becomes more and more difficult to secure them. 
Dogs and cats are their worst enemies, for they 
can not only detect them by the scent, but follow 
into recesses where man cannot penetrate. Add 
to this steady destruction the fact that they are 
slow of increase, laying but one egg at a time, 
and we can readily see that the extinction of this 
bird is merely a matter of a comparatively few 
years. This egg, by the way, is a curiosity, and 
when one notes its size he ceases to wonder why 
the bird lays no more. 
This egg is deposited in a burrow, and is ex- 
tremely difficult to discover, so much so that in 
over a thousand miles of travel in New Zealand 
Prof. Ward was able to obtain only two specimens. 
Among other reports as to the incubation of 
the kiwi it has been stated that the bird sits 
under the egg and not upon it. The bird, it was 
said, buried the egg at some distance below the 
surface and then dug a burrow below it until 
about one-third of the egg was exposed, so that 
it would rest on the back of the bird. From 
observation of specimens living in zoological 
gardens it seems proved that this, like many 
statements made by natives, is entirely false, the 
bird incubating like any other. It is also prob- 
able that the Apteryx breeds twice a year. The 
Apteryx runs and hops, and is able to leap iver 
objects two or three feet in height. 
As the external appearance of this bird is so 
well known, we will notice briefly a few of its 
skeletal peculiarities.* First, the nostrils are 
situated at the end of the long beak and not on 
the sides near the base, as in all other birds. The 
orbits are very small, low down in the skull and 
their boundaries are not sharply defined as in 
most birds. The brain cavity is of moderate 
size, large in proportion to the size of the head, 
owing to the small size of the orbits, and some of 
the sutures of the skull remain visible for a con- 
*The bird from which the above notes are taken is 
A. Mantelli. 
siderable time. The cervicals, 16 in number, are 
short, stout and strikingly suggestive of its huge 
relative, the moa. The last bears a good-sized 
rib, with large uncinate process. Four of the 
eight dorsals are covered by the pelvis, and the 
last, which is solidly anchylosed with “the sac- 
ral s,” bears an extremely short rib. The ribs are 
proportionately wider and flatter than in any 
other bird with which I am acquainted. Four 
are joined to the sternum and the anterior five 
large uncinate processes. In these respects the 
Apteryx approaches the ostrich and departs 
widely from the moas, in which the rounded ribs 
bear very small uncinate processes. The sternum 
is dinornithic in character, being slightly convex. 
The coracoid and scapula are anchylosed. There 
is but one digit on the wing. The pelvis is long, 
narrow and much compressed, in this respect 
differing from Dinornis and resembling Broma- 
ius. There are apparently 12 vertebrae in the 
“sacrum,” but never having examined a young 
specimen I speak with some hesitation on this 
point. There are eight caudals. rather compressed 
and curving downward. The legs are decidedly 
moa-like in character, except that the femur is 
relatively longer. In this point it also differs 
from all other struthiones. There is a stout hind 
claw articulating to a small metatarsal. We 
cannot better close these brief notes on the more 
striking points in the osteology of Apteryx than 
by quoting from Prof. St. George Mivart’s 
memoir on the axial skeleton of the Struthio- 
nes : “Judging by the characters of the axial 
skeleton, the Emu presents the least differentiated 
type, from which Rhea diverges most on the one 
hand and Apteryx on the other. * * * The 
resemblance between Bromaius and Casuarius is 
exceedingly close. * * * The axial skeleton 
of j Dinornis is intermediate between that of 
Casuarius and Apteryx, its affinities, however, 
with the existing New Zealand forms very decid- 
edly predominating. * * * Thus Apteryx 
may be spoken of as the diminutive representa- 
tive of colossal ornithic types that have disap- 
peared.” — F. A. L. 
Rare American Eggs. 
We take pleasure in announcing to our Oolog- 
ical friends that we have just succeeded in ob- 
taining from the Bahamas several eggs of the 
Flamingo (Phoenicopierus ruber). It is needless 
to say that these eggs are rare, and we consider 
ourselves fortunate in securing them. They were 
carefully prepared, are in fine condition, and 
with full data. Price, $3.00. 
We give below a list of a few American eggs 
now on hand which are not in our catalogued 
Western Chickadee..... 50 
Plumbeous Yireo, 50 
Oregon Towhee, 75 
Audubon’s Oriole, 1 00 
Dwarf Cow-bird, 50 
Rufous-backed Humming-bird, 75 
Great Horned Owl, 1 50 
Dusky Grouse,.. 1 75 
Plumed Partridge, 1 25 
Wilson’s Plover, 1 25 
Peale’s Egret, 1 50 
Flamingo, 8 00 
Ring-billed Gull, 75 
Cabot’s Tern, 50 
Thick-billed Guillemot, 1 50 
We desire to call the attention of our readers 
to the list of Human Skeletons on page 13. The 
demand for these has been so great that we have 
heretofore had considerable difficulty in keeping 
a sufficient supply on hand, but we have recently 
made arrangements which we trust will furnish 
us with an adequate number. 
