The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1875-07-23
GIGANTIC BIRDS.

History, III central Idlh, -'C" L IN
has secured eight gigantic skeletons OF
extinct species of birds belonging TO
the family S'yuH iJBidG. Five Of them
represent is many different species of
the genus DH0rgts, and at least one
belongs to the genus Pul1pt"ryr.
They were obtained of Or. Haart. the
Curator OF the museum Of Christ
Church New Zealand, and were ori-
giudiy procured in cave near Moa
Bone Point, on that Island. The
bones Of this race OfcOiOss8l birds have
been known TO the New IealHuIers Tor
many generations back, and have been
unfortunately called by them bones
of the moa, or big bird. They are
found in recent deposits, in the sands
OF tke seashJrc. in swamps, in the soil
OF forests, in river beds and in caves.
Being Of immense size. they have been
sought with avility by the natives,
and wrought into various articles for
Use in hunting, in fishing, and in do
sacstiG life, and have thus been nearly
cxtcrmiuatcl.
The first Of these huge bones ever
exhibited 10 naturalist was shown to
Prof owen in 1899. ! was the hone
OF 4 Leg, ana re Immediately assigned
the bird to which it belonged TO its
true place i'm the system Of Nature
A!l additional facts concerning the
species that have been Gained by nat
uralists since have sustained the hsr-
acter that Prof Owen ascIibed to the
bird whose structure and habits hc de-
scriLcd with Il single bone fsr hiz guide
Science named the bird D'ny55its
twoAderfnl LirI). a great number Of
bones Of the Dinoruis have since been
found, ani several distinct species have
since been made out. 4 seri-s of
complete skeletuns have also been
discovered, Including eight specie. Tie
duplicates Of which are now in the I
American Museum.
1t is supposed that specimens oc the T.
Dinorujs continued to irllabit EeW /.
IsaIand down % the sevcnteenth, ift
not TO the eighteenth. century, while .
some believe that even yet living III
diyiluals may I've found in tie remote .
wilds OF tie Island In 1916 the SON
OF lir LoIt,I the distinguished Eng T,
lish geoiogist, spent a con8i.lcralle /.
time in the interior Of New Zealand /
making extensive explorations in the .
regions of the mo9hcls. in the hope Of .
finding living rir3 lie was. how
ever, assured bv the natives that the .
birds had become extinct, although q
few generations ago that New Yea .
Ianders had fed upon them The ia. .
tiv,s declare, from traditions handed .
down to them. that the birds were stu .
pia, fat, and indo!cn5 that they were
incapable ct flying, and lived in forests /
and mOgntain fastnes-cs, feeding on a /
vegetable diet. With this all the in-
tercaces teiuccd from the bones by
comparative auatoInists fully agree
The bones are in nauv Instances .
found with considerable unimal mat
ter, and even wi,h pGriO5t,um prcscry- ,
ed. In some deep excavations made
IN an ancient elf on the western shore I.
Of New Iealahd, near New Plymouth .
= quantity Of bones Of the largest size
were recently brought to view Among
them We're broken etg shells and rings
of the trachiw. In some fragments OF
the shells the lining membrane a,ill re-
maincd. Some OF the bones that have
been found are twice the size of those
of the ostrich The legs Of tncIiaorHis
g,gHaieUs are like those Of the largest
OK, while the spread Of the toes i
about ! 3 inches hv rs. The bones Of
all these birds are filed with marrow
instead of being hollow, as in birds
calculated for flight The crauiu:n is
very small in comparison with the
enormous bulk of the body, and is
r-,.t;Ip lit-, a., tl,a ,,..i,.ttr,I ,.,.,.i,,n