THE DODO, ETC. 
extracted, and which served as the mouth of the vessel. M. Du- 
marecle offered to purchase the egg from the natives, but they 
declined selling it, stating, that it belonged to their chief, and 
that they could not dispose of it without his permission. The 
natives said, the eg was found in the jungle, and observed, that 
such eggs were very rarely met with, and that the bird which 
produces them is still more rarely seen.’ ” 
The following is the notice in the newspapers previously alluded 
to:— The Caleutta Englishman, of August 1850, writes, ‘We have 
received Mauritius papers to the 13th ult. The ‘ Mauritian’ men- 
tions, on the authority of a Bourbon journal, that a singular dis- 
a 
covery has been made in Madagascar. Fossil eves, of an enormous . 
5 on) 
size have been found in the bed of a torrent. The shells are an 
eighth of an inch thick, and the circumference of the egg itself is 
two feet eight inches lengthways, and two feet two inches round the 
middle. One which has been opened, contains eight-and-a-half litres, 
or about two gallons! What was to come out of these eggs? Bird 
or crocodile? The natives seem to be well acquainted with them, 
and say, that ancient tradition is uniform as to the former existence 
of a bird, large enough to carry off an ox. This is only a little 
smaller than the Roc of ancient fable, which waited patiently till 
he saw the elephant and rhinoceros fighting, and then carried of 
both at one stoop. Some fossil bones have been found in the same 
place as the eggs. The Bourbon editor says, he will leave it to the 
pupils of the great Cuvier to decide to what animal they belong. If 
they should prove to be the bones of a bird of a size corresponding 
to the eggs, the discovery will indeed be an extraordinary one.” 
From these notices, it will be seen, that the “Dodo and its 
Kindred” has been the means of drawing attention to the sub- 
ject; and we trust, that the officers of H.M.SS on the station 
which includes Madagascar, Mauritius, Bourbon, and Rodrigue, 
will use their endeavours to trace out the subject. Let them take 
every opportunity of questioning the natives or Europeans who 
have been long resident in the islands, as to the former or present 
existence of birds that cannot fly, whether large or small; and look 
among the native dresses and ornaments, for such as are manufac 
tured from feathers or bones which they cannot now procure, 
which are very rare and much esteemed. Let them examine the 
old proceedings of societies, or papers relating to them—files of 
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