90 Account of some Fossil Bones 
tendons and integuments of the foot, we obtain, at least, 
six feet of the lower extremities of a bird, which, sup¬ 
posing its upper parts to accord in size with the lower 
ones, must have measured in altitude, when alive, at the 
lowest rate of calculation, from fourteen to sixteen feet 
—an enormous feathered monster, well worthy, from its 
gigantic size, of being classed with the Megalosaurus of 
Buckland, and the Mastodon of Cuvier. 
It so happened that about this time a mechanic, who 
had been living at Cloudy Bay, in the Middle Island, 
came to reside at Poverty Bay. He stated that this bird 
now existed in the high hills near Cloudy Bay; and that 
two Americans, residents at that place, hearing from a 
native that such a bird lived on the mountainous and 
snowy heights, provided themselves with arms, and, thus 
equipped, went in high expectation of shooting one, 
taking the native with them as their guide. They 
ascended the mountain to the place where these birds 
resort, where, at the natives request, they hid themselves 
behind some bushes. Presently they saw the monster 
majestically stalking down in search of food . they were, 
however, so petrified with horror at the sight as to be 
utterly unable to fire on him. Had they commenced the 
combat, it is, I think, highly doubtful how it might have 
terminated. I think it very probable that they would 
have found themselves in a much worse situation than 
the Trojan chief and his followers did in [their celebrated 
conflict with the harpies; so energetically and deplor- 
ingly described by the poet in these lines :— 
“ Ergo, ubi delapsjc sonitum per curva dedere 
Littora 5 dat Lignum specula Misenus ab alta 
iEre cavo: invadunt socii, et nova proclia tentant, 
Obscoenas pelagi ferro foedare volucres. 
Sed neque vim plumis ullam, ncc vulnera tergo 
Accipiunt.”* JEn. lib. iii. 238. 
• For the benefit of the English reader, IJgive Drydcn’s translation 
of the passage from the celebrated Latin poet 
