318 
were referable gave grounds for an estimate of size of the entire egg. The convex 
, surface showed two degrees of curvature, one indicating the length, the other the 
“breadth of the egg. The direction of the linear air-pores ran mainly in that of the long 
_axis of the egg, as inferred by the major curve. A few fragments, by shorter curves 
" coinciding with the direction of the air-fissures, indicated proximity to one or other of 
_ the ends of the egg. 
A comparison with corresponding curves in answerable portions of an egg of an 
. Ostrich led me to the conclusion as to comparative size, which is illustrated in Plate XC. 
The middle circle, inclosing the words Struthio.... Struthio, gives the extreme trans- 
verse girth, the dotted line of the middle oval, inclosing > Sfruthio >, gives the longi- 
tudinal girth, of the egg of the Ostrich. The outer circle, inclosing ‘‘ Dinornis.... 
Dinornis,” gives the extreme transverse girth, the outer oval, in dotted line, gives the 
* extreme longitudinal girth, of the egg of a Moa. Guided by the proportion of the 
number of shell-fragments indicating the same species of bird to that of the number of 
bones referable to one species, I was led to the conclusion that the form and dimen- 
sions of the egg of Dinornis elephantopus had thus been worked out. The portions of 
egg-shell, indicating by their curvatures a smaller kind of Moa, were of larger size ; and 
long and_patient_attempts at fitting them together were ultimately rewarded by a re- 
construction of one of the eggs, now in the British Museum, the most perfect side of 
which is figured in Plate CXV, 
As the Mantellian collection, besides its illustrations of the then new species 
Dinornis elephantopus (p, 223), included many specimens confirmatory of Dinornis 
crassus, previously indicated by bones discovered by Percy Earl, Esq., at Waikawaite 
(p. 182), it seemed probable that the smaller egg belonged to that smaller species. 
In the Plate CXY. are given illustrations of the structure of the egg-ghell: fig. 2 
shows the markings on the outer surface, nat. size; fig. 3 the sans Se acuived three 
diameters ; tig. 4 shows the thickness of the shell of the egg of Dinornis elephantopus ; 
fig, 5 a portion magnified three diameters, to show the proportions of the inner and 
outer layers of the shell. 
Such was the degree of knowledge of the egg-characters of Dinornis to which I had 
got in 1856. 
In the year 1865 an egg of a Dinornis was sent from New Zealand to London, 
and was submitted to my inspection. A small portion of the shell had been broken 
away at one side of the egg; but the pieces were transmitted. The egg mea- 
sured 10 inches in length and 73 inches in breadth; the shell was ;5 of in inch in 
thickness. showed the external linear air-pores and the smooth inner layer charac- 
teristic of the Dinornis egg-shell; but the shell in this instance had been stained of a 
dirty brownish colour, probably from the decomposition of the body of the native with 
which it had been buried, added to the natural colour of the grave-soil. 
Judging from the degree of superiority of size of this egg in comparison with that of 
