The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1880-06-10
wonderful Birds, Beasts and Reptiles.

into the post-pliOcene period (the birds.
not the scientists), belonging TO the
quaternary epoch towards the close or
end of the glacial period. and which
have become extinct within the memory
Of man. The bird is spoken of in the
traditions of the natives, and the last
living mOa is said bythem to have lived
M Poverty Bay District, in the North
Island, and when resting to have stood
on one foot with its beak always turned
TO the quarter in which the wind blew.
The feathers of the bird were said to be
very beautiful and to have been used
for ornament by the native chieftains
There are fourteen species Of this bird
of which the fossil remains have been
discovered (many more may be found
in the future); all are now extinct. The
largest Ofthese is the dlHorRiS gigaHtcuS
(huge brd). probably twelve feet high,
possibly fifteen or sixteen feet. The
tibia. or thigh bone. has been found
nearly yard long and as thick as that
of "A horse; and an egg was also found
still well preserved, over a foot long
and nine inches in diameter which
would mold two gallons. These birds
are all winglesS, with two enormously
powerful hind limbs (the forward limbs
or wings being iudimentary), adapted
for rGnning The dinOrRis eIephqBtOpiS |
was of even heavier build, had toe bones
as large rs those of an elephant (three |
toe, on each FOOT, their feet were big
enough TO fill those mysterious three |
tOcd footprints of the triastic sandstone /
IN the Connecticut Valley, which have |
caused so much wonder, for nothing |
could be found to ill them in the forma- |
ton in which they were imprinted. They |
stood ont in bold relief, only a three-toed |
footprint, and nothing more. It is |
known that these birds have become |
extinct ut "A comparatively recent date, 1
because bones have been found with .
feathers attached and with pieces /
of horny skin sticking to the legs The /
dodo. clumsy old fellow of about fifty I
pounds weight, has died out within the /
last two centuries, and the apteryX, a
bird like itself and no other. is fast |
leaving Us. The apteryX is the high EST /
representative of the warm blOoded /
class of animals that lived in New lea
land before the introduction of man.
(The term introduction of man" is
Professor Owens, and you viii notice 1
now cautious he is. 1t is such a veXed .
question how, when and where man
first came upon the earth, that the |
learned Professor handles il carefullyO !
In Madagascar The remains of a bird .
larger than any of these have been late
~ dis .overed, also wingless - the dpiOr- /
nh 7artriHHS (tall bird.) With the |
bones have been found eggs three times 7.
as large a an ostrich egg. Two other |
species, similar but smaller, have been |
found SO closely resembling the New |
Zealand diH0rajS that some biologists |
SAY that these two regions, now SO far .
apart 600 miles) were once united. |
forming one immense continent. These /
birds could not fly and unless there |
We're two separate creations how could /
they have got there? There are some !
objections, it appears to me, to this |
theory, viz: snakes, large and small,
abound in Madagascar while there are |
none in New Zealand; crocodiles, scor-
Dions, cautipedes and lizards make the
former pla e agreeable and pleasant to
ramhie in; the reverse is true of the lat
ter New Zealand is remarkably healthy
and Madagascar is remarkably I'M
healthy, etc.
AfNb ~ AtAAlh w bi2 blih. III q
history of Madagascar, taken principal
ly from materials and papers sent here
by missionaries to that island in the .
early part of this century, it is said; "A
bird of the ostrich kind is reported to
frequent the most desert places of the /
island" and adds - that the story which |
Marco Paulo refers to may not be with
out foundation" The story is briefly .
this: The people of the island report .
that at certain seasons of the year
an extraordinary bird comes from
the southern regions, and that it was
SO large and strong that it could seize
an elephant in its talOns, lift it in the
air and dash it to the ground in order
to kill it and eat it. The quill part of
the feathers was said to be two hand
breadths' wide The people call this
bird the " Rukh." So much for Marco
Paulo. Now, in an Arab or a Persian
dictionary, "Rukh' is defined as the
name of a monstrOus bird which was
powerful enough to carry off rhinOce-
roS, and the editor of Marco Paulo'
said that 1.-The existence of such bird
was universally credited ii the East"
Now, it is proved by these recent dis
coveries that such a monstrous bird did .
really exist, though not SO large rs the
fables say, and the elephant story
would, of course, be exaggerated, though .
if our own eagle can carry off lamb or
a child to his inaccessible nest, do not |
see why a so much larger bird could not
carry of proportionately larger ami
NAL. and this same eDiOrRiS H1dTiHlitS
probably furnished or was the original
roc of Sinbad the Sailor, so that there is
most likely, at least so far as the bird
is concerned, grain of truth in that
fanciful and fascinating narrative. We
now know, at any rate, that a bird did /
exist large enough and strong enough
TO have carried Sinbad long distance.
The rocks of Madagascar are chiefly
primitive, huge masses of granite and
sycnite, pure quartz, large blocks of
exquisite rose-colored quartz, chalce
doay, marble. also sandstone and lime
stone. some volcanic rocks and coral.
One writer speaks of finding piece of !
limestone containing a fossil which he 4
supposed to be flattened serpent; it 4
was probably one of the cOiled ammo
mites which used to be taken for SER
penis. -.-..... $685..
The animals of the post pliocene were I
very numerous and often immense.
First. there were marsupials or kanga- /
rookie forms ONLY of great size. Think 1
of jumping, kangaroO-like creature /
with head between three and four feet !
long, and the rest in proportion. An
other branch of this family is supposed
20 be related TO that peculiar animal
called the native devil of Van Dieman's