1875 , 
227 
mingled witli the nioa hones portions of ftisrantic egsrs 
wliich undonhlcdly were laid i>y the itVeat lords. Some 
frairnients of thise eirgs still contained portions of the 
lining membrane. Dr. Haast says: “About four feet 
from the oven,” where it was apparent the moa hunters 
had cooked portions of the birds, “we ctime across 
some large : ieces of egg shells, of which many 
had still tiie lining membrane attached, provingby their 
line of curvature that they were portions of a Dinornis 
egg of very large size.” *A cast from the fos.sil egg of 
Epiornis i.s in the American Mtuseuin; this may give 
some idea of the size of those found at New Zealand. 
Its length is fourteen inches, and its capacity is com- 
puted to be about that of 240 hens’ eggs of the ordinary 
size. The Epiornis is found at .Madaga.scar, or portions 
of the bones, but less is known of ibis than of those 
under consideration. 
A careful search was made while e.xamining the cav- 
erns atMoa-hone Point for human remains. Dr. Ilaast 
says: “Hitherto we had not been successful either in 
obtaining human bones or iilaori objects of any value, 
which 1 hoped might have been placed in a cache simi- 
lar to those found in carefullj' e.xcavated hiding-idaces 
in the moa hunters’ (an 1 afterivard Maori) encampments 
at the liahaia. However, that evening we came upon a 
skeleton of a JIaori, which evidently had been buried 
a considerable time.” The ^laoris constituted a tribe 
of natives that once occupied this region. The human 
skeleton here found is full si.y feet in height, and is 
mounted erect by the side of the tallest moa skeleton in 
the Christ Church Museum. From a photograph of 
this particular view, I find, by measuring, that the bird 
is about fourteen feet in height. The neck is much 
shorter proportionately than the living ostrich. The 
enormous size of the trunk and leg hones of this moa 
strikes the observer particularly. The si.\-foot man 
could easily walk between the legs of the hiid without 
stooping. The width across the knee of the moa is as 
much as any diameter seen on the human skeleton. 
On examining some of the smaller caves connected 
with the large main cavern there were found bones of 
the nioas mixed with those of smaller and common s))e- 
cies of sea-birds, many of them showing effects of fire 
and cutting implements. These caves were no doubt 
used for human occupation, and the bones of tbe great 
as well as small birds show that thej’ were brought there 
for food. They obtained here, mostly imbedded in the 
• marine sand, the bones of the left leg belonging to an 
enormous specimen of Euryaptery.x. The tibia and fe- 
mur had been broken in the usual manner for tlie ex- 
traction of marrow, while the metatarsus was entire and 
very much caleineil at its lower extremity. The fibula 
was found to be broken in several jilaces, a.s would 
happen by breaking the tiliia with the tornior bone still 
attached. None of the bones were calcined excepting 
those which were not covered with tlesh, that i.s, the 
lower parts including the feet. This circumstance points 
to a case of broiled fowl of extraoiMinary dimensions. 
With these, specimens of obsidian spear-heads were 
found, which clearly indicate the method used bj'- the 
moa hunters to capture the birds. 
The discovery of the skeletons of birds so gigantic 
in size furnishes an interesting confirmation of tbe the- 
ories of Prof. Hitchcock, of ilassachusetts, whose an- 
nouncement a quarter of a century earlier astonished 
the scientific world. About the year IbtlO attention was 
directed to numerous imprints of a tritid character 
which appeared upon the sandstone of the Connecticut 
Kiver Valley. They were thought to resemble foot- 
prints of gigantic birds. Dr. Deane of Oreenlield, com- 
municated the fact to Prof. Hitchcock, President of 
Amherst College, « ho immediately .set about working 
out the subject in a scientific manner. The first ac- 
count was published in 18IJ0 in Silliman’s Journal. The 
tracks were observed to by tridact 3 dous, or three-toed, 
but in many instances there were signs of an imprint 
of a fourth toe, directed backward. At this time no 
bird, living or fossil, was known that could produce so 
large an impression or foot print, the ostrich being the 
nearest approach thereto. Similar foot-prints have since 
been found m New .Jersey and in Penn.sylvania where 
extensive quarrying has been done in argillaceous sand- 
stones. 
The largest and finest specimens occurred at Turner’s 
Falls, Massachusetts. In some instances several hun- 
dred foot-prints were ob.served in a small space, repre- 
senting several species, and the whole surface was pitted 
by rain-drops. The largest impressions are often fifteen 
inchis in length and ten in width, exclusive of the hind 
claw, which is two inches long. In a consecutive series 
which was observed on larger slabs, where five or six 
prints were formed, the stride was found to be from 
four to five feet. 
In the absence of any other relics, no bones having 
at this time been found, naturalists were shy of receiv- 
ing these facts as bearing upon the former existence of 
birds of gigantic ])roportions. The matter is now made 
entirely clear by the discovery of the moas, though thej' 
arc at the “other end of the world.” AV'ithout attempt- 
ing to explain why there should be no relics of bones in 
the sand-stone region of JIassachusetts, we maj’ remark 
that the great caverns, wherever they are found, are 
usually the depository of such objects, certain condi- 
B tions favoring their preservation, while in the New 
England States there are no natural catacombs or cave.“. 
The geological changes in our part of the world, too, 
_ probably have had much to do with the complete dis- 
persion of such forms. 
There were found, besides the foot-prints of birds, of 
which thirty-tw o species were enumerated, those of 
twelve species of quadrupeds, the latter being mostly 
of reptiles. 
' < In some instances the impression showed distinctly 
I 
the marks natural to the skin of the under side of the 
foot; and further jiroof of their bird character was fur- 
nished ill the droppings or excrement, called, when fos- 
sil, cf/prvlites, w hich was analyzed bj' Prof. Dana, and 
found to contain the proportion of uric acid and other 
constituents which characterize guano. 
The first information concerning tbe discover}' of the 
moas of New' Zealand came to the hands of science 
about the year 18:19. Mr. Mantell, F. K. S., of England, 
communicated an account of some specimens of bones 
which were obtained by his son, who was residing in 
Wellington, New Zealand. Ttie .Maoris or natives were 
acipiaiiitcd with the occurrence of these bones long be- 
fore the settlement by Enro|ieans. Traditions were rife 
among them that the moa.s had served iheir ancestors 
wit h food, and .stories were lohl of the hunting excur- 
sions to procure them. They also believe that living 
ones still exist in remote parts of the laud. The}' state 
that the birds have magnificent feathers, which the 
chiefs used as ornaments for their heads. 
Mr. Mantell had great difliculty in securing his speci- 
mens, and owing to a seeming prejudice of the native 
Maoris, who insisleil on seizing all they could lay hands 
on and breaking them. Ho says: “!Mixed with the 
bones, but exceedingly rare, were fragments of egg- 
shells. I also found six oval rings, ami one broad, cir- 
cular ring of the trachea.” Mr. Jlai.tell continues; 
“From traditions and other circumstances it is suppo.sed 
that the present natives of New Zealand came to those 
islaiuls not more than six hundred years ago. How- 
ever this may be, that the moa was alive when the first 
settlers came is evident from the name of this bird being 
mi.xed uji with their songs and stories.” 
Prof. Owen observes of these birds: “From the form 
and structure of certain characteristic parts of tbe skull 
and upper mandible it is manifest that the. Dinornis 
cannot be assigned to any known family of birds; and 
in referring the genus to the Struthionidie (the os- 
trich-like bird.s), little more is implied than a feeble de- 
velopment of tbe wings, and large and pow'erful hinder 
limbs for progression on dry land.” He concludes by 
placing them in a new and "distinct family of the order 
GrallfB, or stilt birds. 
Like the ostrich, the moas are nearly wingless. The 
body of some large specimen of moa w itn its enormous 
pelvis and solid thighs resembles that of a mastodon or 
some huge mammil in its great proportions and pon- 
derous asiK'ct. 
Some of the smaller species somewhat resemble the 
bustard, and otliers have chaivcters like the curious 
aptery.x or wingless birds, ki-w i, of that regiop. 
The American liluseum is now rich in possession of 
the best specimens of several of the extinct birds of va- 
rious portions of the world. Ilesides the five specimens 
of gigantic moas, it has the great auk and egg, the egg 
and bones of Epiornis of .Madagascar, and the sternum, 
head and leg bones of the dodo from Mauritius. 
lIl.1i0R AXD m AMMALS. 
In the recently published edition of the “ Descent of 
Man" there is some additional matter concerning the 
above subjects, and as the following illustrative cases 
fell under my own observation, I think it is worth 
while to publish them as supplementary to those ad- 
duced by Mr. Darwin. Several years ago I used 
to watch carefully the young ourang-outang at 
the Zoological Gardens, and I am quite sure that she 
manifested a sense of the ludicrous. One example will 
sullice. Her feeding tin was of a .somewhat peculiar 
shape, and when it was empty she used sometimes to in- 
vert it upon her head. The tin then presented a com- 
ical resemblance to a bonnet, and as its wearer would 
generally favor the spectators with a broad grin at the 
time of putting it on, she never failed to raise a laugh 
from them. Her success in this respect was evidently 
attended with no small gratification on her part. 
I once had a Skye terrier which, like all of his kind, 
was very intelligent. When in good humor he had 
several tricks, which I know to have been self-taught, 
and the sole object of which was evidently to excite 
laughter. For instance, when lying upon one side and 
violentlv grinning, he would hold one leg in his mouth. 
Under such circumstances nothing pleased him so much 
as having his joke duly appreciated, while if no notice 
was taken of him he would become sulky. On the 
other hand, nothing that could happen displeased him 
so much as being laughed at when he did not intend to 
be ridiculous. Mr. Darwin says: “Several observers 
have stated that monkeys certainly dislike being laughed 
at” (p. 71). There can be no little or no doubt that this 
is true of monkeys; but I never knew of a really good 
case among dogs save this one, and here the signs of 
disi’ke were unequivocal. To give one instance. He 
used to be very fond of catching flies upon the window 
panes, and if ridiculed ■when unsuccessful was evidently 
much annoyed. On one occasion, to see what he would 
do, I purposely laughed immoderately every time he 
failed. It so happened that he did so several times in 
succession — partly, I believe, in consequence of my 
laughing — and eventually he became so distressed that 
he positively pretended to catch the fly, going through 
all the appropriate actions with his lips and tongue, 
and afterwards rubbing the ground with his neck as if 
to kill the victim; he then looked up at me with 'a tri- 
umphant air of success. So well was the whole pro- 
cess simulated, that I should have been quite deceived 
had I not seen that the fly was still upon the window. 
Accordingly, I drew his attention to this fact, as well as 
the absence of anything upon the floor; and when he 
saw that his hypocrisy had been detected he slunk away 
under some furniture, evidently very much ashamed of 
himself. 
The following example of reason in a dog is the most 
striking that has ever fallen within my personal obser- 
vation. A son of the above mentioned terrier followed 
a conveyance from the house at which I resided in the 
country to a town ten miles distant. He only did this 
on one occasion, and about five months afterwards was 
taken by train to the same town as a present to some 
friends there. Shortly afterwards I called upon these 
friends in a different conveyance from the one which 
the dog had previously followed; but the latter may,^have 
known that the two conveyances belonged to the same 
house. Anyhow, after I had put up the horses at an inn, 
I spent tbe morning with the terrier and hii new mas- 
ters, and in the afternoon was accompanied by them to 
the inn. I should have mentioned that the inn was the 
same as that at which the conveyance had been put up 
on the previous occasion, five months before. Now, 
the dog evidently remembered this, and, reasoning 
from analogy, inferred that I was about to return. This 
is shown by the fact that he stole away from our party 
— although at what precise moment he did so I cannot 
say, but it was certainly after we had arrived at the inn; 
for subsequently we all remembered his having entered 
the coflee room with us. Now, not only, did he infer 
from a single precedent that I was going home, and 
make up his mind to go with me, but he has also fur- 
ther reasoned thus: “As my previous master lately sent 
me to town, it is probable that he does not want me to 
return with him to the counfry; therefore, if I am to 
seize this opportunity of resuming my poaching life, I 
must steal a march upon the conveyance. But not 
only so, my former master may pick me up and return 
with me to my proper owners ; therefore I must take 
care to intercept the conveyance at a point sufficiently 
far without the town to make sure that he will not 
think it worth his while to go back with me.” Com- 
plicated as this train of reasoning of is, it is the simplest 
one I can devise to account for the fact that slightly be- 
yond the third milestone the terrier was awaiting me — 
lying right in the middle of the road with his face tow- 
ards the town. I should add that the second two miles 
of the road were quite straight, so that I could easily 
have seen the dog if he had been merely running a com- 
paratively short distance in front of the horses. Why 
this animal should never have returned to his former 
home on liis own account, I cannot suggest; but I think 
it was merely due to an excessive caution which he also 
manifested in other things. Be this explanation, how- 
ever, what it may, as a fact, he never did venture to 
come back upon his account, notwithstanding there 
never was a subsequent occasion upon which any of 
his former friends went to the town but the terrier W'as 
sure to return with them, having always found some 
way of escape from his intended imprisonment. — 
“ George J. Romaves'’ in, Xature. 
The Fisn of Paradise is one of the most peculiar of Chinese fresh 
water fish. It is small in size, a pale gray in color, and, at first 
sight, having but little about it to attract attention. As soon as tbe 
animal becomes excited, however, the long fins on the back ai d 
belly straighten out and assume a rich purple hue, tinted with 
green. The long and forked shaped tail spreads into a kind of fan, 
and the stripes under the side of the fish become yellow, red, and 
blue, constantly changing in color. The scales seem to become 
opalescent, and reflect the light with the greatest biilliancy, while 
the eyes seem to be illuminat ed with a bluish green fire. The hab- 
its of the animal are as odd as its appearance. The male takes 
charge of the young and builds the nest. The latter is simply a clot 
of foam floating upon the water, and is made by the fish rising to 
the surface and alternately absorbing and expelling the air, until a 
little cluster of fine bubbles, hardly three-tenths of an inch squ.arc, 
is formed. The female then deposits her eggs, which’^re at once 
seized upon by the male, who carries them in his mouth to the nest. 
Then he watches their incubation, carefully guarding and distribut- 
ing them with wonderful sagacity evenly throughout the mass of 
foam. When they riot together he pushes them apart with his 
nose, and, besides, keeps up a continual manufacture of bubblc.s 
until the eggs i re filled up above the water and rest only upon their 
soft couch. As soon as the embryos appear, his care is doubled. 
He watches that none escape; and in case some become separated, 
he chases them, catches them in his mouth, and replaces them care- 
fully in the nest. If one becomes hurt, he removes it from the oth- 
ers, and gives it a separate bubble by itself, apparently nursing it 
uuld it regain its strength. 
