The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1884-07-24
GIGANTIC BIRDS.

Eggs $500 Apiece-RaIIs Six Feet HIsI
Eagles CAPABLE of Carrying Four OIL
Five Men-HOw the DInOrnis Became
ExtInct-PrOfessOr Booths Theory.
The Museum of Natural History
Central Park, has been offered an egg
that if sold by the dozen would bring
$4,000. the individual one being valued
at $500. Its size is little over a foot
IN length, its holding capacity two
gallons, and in round numbers it equals
one hundred and fifty hens eggs: lis
lineal 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 bv
the Captain of a 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.
restigation he found that they were
eggs cut in halves, and upon being
questioned, the natives informed him
that they obtained them from the grea,
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 oil
the bird, which he named Epinornis, OF
tail bird
Since then (1S5O), 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. a skull, parts of the YER
tebr;e. tibia siXty-fOur centimetres
long, being the principal tinds-quite
enough to establish its colossal stature
Some writers 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 a gira le
and much larger; but the apterix.
though a 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-
toned to theirsiZe, so it was assumed that
the EpinorniS need not have been larger
than the ostrich. On the other hand. II
is well known that very large birds
often lay small eggs, as the cuckoo, j
bird as large as 4 small hawk, that LAYS
an egg about the size of that of the
blackbird. So it will be seen that as q
rule the size of a 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 a maximum of size.
Not only were the birds large. but the
mammals were gigantic also. The
Diprotodon Australis was n Pleistocene
kangaroo rs large as the living rhinoc-
eros. The Swatherium was a Pachy-
-dermOid antelope, also as large as a
Thinoceros. The GlyptodOn. a Pleis-
tOcene armadillo, eleven feet long,
weighing over 1000 pounds. The
Megatherium was q 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. NJ. CASTOR
Plante, in some excavations in a clavev
stratum known as the Meudon oSSifer-
-ous conglOmerate, made the first dis
-covery of a tibia, which. though some
what broken, measured forty five CEN
timetres, and from its resemblance to
that of the swan, differing from it only
in the presence of a sub trochean foSsa
and in the relatively high situation of
SAe osSeOus arch and external mus
.cular attachment, it was presumed that
the bird was a gigantic ally of these
birds. Since Plante's discovery another
gaStOrnis has been discovered in a for
nation corresponding to the Meudon
sconglomerate. 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 vas par
ticularly perfect, showing a series of
pseudo alyeoli, reminding one of the
,atrophied alveoli of reptiles, CORE
spending not to true teeth but to a
thickening of the horny material of the
bill. Strangely enough. however, upon
the anterior portion of the bill there
was true tooth, of bony nature,
forming part and continuous with the
xubstance of the bill itself.
When the Mascarene Islands were
first visited in the year 1850, some large
birds were found that have since gone
the way of the dodo. One of the most
interesting was a giant rail, called by
Schlegel the Galliniula gigantea. 1t
was a wingless bird of elegant shape,
standing high on long stilt-like legs,
with enormous toes, recalling the Gu
rious jacana. Its height was over six
feet. From various sources it is found
that the natives hunted it on foot, run
ming it down until it was finally exter-
minated, the last one being seen in