5 
from the neighbourhood of Cherson. 
has a rougher texture. The egg has on the whole most re¬ 
semblance to certain examples of the Ostrich-egg ( Struthio 
camelus), which, however, vary excessively in form. Com¬ 
pared with the egg of JEpyornis *, of which our museum has 
a plaster cast received from Paris, the present egg is some¬ 
what shorter and more rounded—its short diameter being to 
its long as 1: 1*2, while in ^ 'Epyornis the corresponding pro¬ 
portion is 1 : 1*3. 
In respect of size the fossil egg far exceeds the largest Os¬ 
trich-egg, without, however, rivalling, except in the most 
distant degree, that of the JEpyornis . Its long diameter 
measures 18 centimetres, its short 15 cent, (from which the 
above-mentioned proportion of 1 : 1*2 or 5 : 6 results). The 
longer circumference measures 52 cent., the shorter 46 cent. 
The volume was estimated at 2200 cubic centimetres. We 
may therefore calculate its contents to equal those of from 
40 to 44 hen's eggs of ordinary size. For comparison I 
may remark that the largest Ostrich-egg I could find mea¬ 
sured 16 cent, by 13*5, and gave a volume of 1350 cubic 
cent, (equal to from 25 to 27 hen's eggs)f. The volume of 
the JEpyornis-egg is said to have been reckoned to be equal 
to that of 148 hen's eggs. 
The surface of the egg nnder the microscope, particularly 
on one side and near one pole, shows a decidedly rough or 
bunchy appeaaance, besides in many places irregularly di¬ 
rected crooked-running shallow scratches, which from their 
habitus give the idea of very fine vessels on the inner side of 
the shell, as also deep sharply defined pits, as if made by a 
blunt needle. These last appearances are especially notice¬ 
able on the smoother parts of the egg, and represent in a 
larger proportion the needle-prick-like pits on the eggs of the 
Ostrich. 
* Prof. Brandt spells this word Epiornis , as originally written by Isidore 
Geoffroy St.-Hilaire, the founder of the genus. But the derivation being 
from alnus, there can be no question of JEpyovnis being the correct or¬ 
thography. — Ed . 
t According to Thienemann an Ostrich-egg is (in volume) equivalent 
to about 30 hen’s eggs. (‘ Fortpflanzungsgeschichte d, gesamm, Vogel,’ 
Leipzig, 1849, p. 0.) 
