The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1884-07-26
GIGANTIC BIRDS.

UxUANl DInUSs
Eggs eSoo Apaece--RafIs Six rect Hixh
Eagles Capable Of Carrying Four Of
Five Men-HOw the Dlnornls Became
Extinct-Professor booths Theory.
The Museum OF Natural History
Central Park, has been offered an ego
that II sold by the dozen would bring
$4,000. the individual one being valued
at $500. Its size is little over foo,
in length. its holding capacity two
gallons. and in round numbers itequals
one hundred and fifty hens eggs; its
iineal measurement Is double that OF
the ostrich's egg. and its cubic bulk
eight times greater. The monster egg
comes from Madagascar, and the
museum now possesses an admirable
cast showing its dimensions.
The first discovery of these interest
ing relics OF past time was made by
the Captain of merchant vessel, who
stopped at port on the southern part
of the island to trade with the natives.
During his stay there the curious vases
the natives used to carry water and food
in attracted his attention, and upon in
vestigation he found that they were
eggs cut in halves, and upon being
questioned, the natives informed him
that they obtained them from the great
sand-banks some distance away in the
up country. An effort to purchase
some soon resulted in the discovery of
others that fell into the hands of the
naturalist, Isidore G.. st. Hilaire, who
succeeded also in finding the bones OF
the bird, which he named Epinornis, or
tail bird.
Since then Q850), the remains of
three or four distinct species of these
monsters have been unearthed in the
sand banks of the southern portion OF
the island, skull, parts of the ver-
tebrH, tibia sixty-four centimetres
long, being the principal finds-qute
enough to establish its colossal stature.
Some writer's aver that traditions of this
giant gave rise to the tales of the roc
SO intimately associated with the haps
and mishaps of the unlucky Sindbad.
When the bird was first discovered,
and its egg found to be eight times the
capacity of that of the ostrich, it was
assumed to be sixteen feet in height,
which would make it as tall as giraffe
and much larger; but the apterix,
though bird hardly larger than a
guinea hen, lay eggs as large as a
swans. Some of the mound-building
birds lay eggs that seem dispropor-
tionedt to theirsize, SO it was assumed that
the Epinornis need not have been larger
than the ostrich. On the other hand, it
is we'll known that very large birds
often lay small eggs, as the cuckoo, a
bird as large as small hawk, that lays
an egg about the size of that of the
blackbird. So it will be seen that as a
rule the size of bird cannot be told
from its egg.
The bones found, however, justify
naturalists in considering the Epinornis
giant. Ward gives it as twelve feet;
others thirteen or more; not so remark
able when we consider that in the
earlier geological times all life seemed
to have reached maximum OF size.
Not only were the birds large, but the
mammals were gigantic also. The
Diprotodon Australis was Pleistocene
kangaroo as large as the living rhinoc-
ercs. The Swatherium was Pachy-
dermoid antelope, also as large as
rhinoceros. The Glyptodon, Pleis-
tocene armadillo, eleven feet long,
weighing over 1000 pounds. The
Megatherium was a sloth eighteen feet
in length. The tigers of the tertiary
time, represented by the Machairodus,
had upper canine teeth three times the
length of those of the living forms. In
earlier times were Crinoids (Pentacri-
nus subangularis) with stalks over fifty
feet long; huge crabs and gigantic fishes
that heralded later and more insignifi-
cant forms.
With such an array of stupendous
creatures, we are not surprised to find
birds of such colossal stature. France
has produced one of the largest and
most remarkable of these forms vet
made known to science. M. CASTOR
Plaute, in some excavations in clayey
stratum known as the Meudon ossifer-
Gus conglomerate, made the first dis
covery of a tibia, which, though some
what broken, measured forty-fiv CEN
timetres, and from its resemblance to
that of the swan, differing from it only
in the presence of sub trochean fossa
and in the relatively high situation of
the osseous arch and external mus
cular attachment, it was presumed that
the bird was gigantic ally of these
birds. Since Plante's discovery another
gastornis has been discovered in for
nation corresponding to the Meudon
conglomerate. A large part of the
skeleton was secured, and when mount
ed and the missing parts carefully re-
stored, bird was shown over ten feet
in height 1t was especially remark
able for the possession of teeth, the
upper bill or mandible. which was par
ticularly perfect, showing q series Of
pseudo alveoli, reminding one Of the
atrophied alveoli of reptiles, CORE
spending not to trne teeth but to
thickening of the horny material of the
bill. Strangely enough, however, upon
the anterior portion Of the bill there
was true tooth, Of a bony nature,
forming a part and continuous with the
substance of the bill itself.
When the Massarene Islands were
first visited In the year 1850, some large
kiYds were found that have since gore