Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1884-07-25
BIRDS OF BrGONE AGES.
Pigeons as Large as Ostriohes- -EOgs That
Would Hold Several Gallons.
[From the New York SUM-

tFrom the New York SUM-
Prof. Marsh says: at is now gem
erally admitted by biologists who lave
made study of vcrtebrates that the
birds have come down to us through the
dinosaurs, and the close affinity of the
latter with recent struthlous birds Will
scarcely be questioned"
Such are some OF these bird like Great
ures that, perhaps twenty feet high,
wandered over the shoals If our neigh
boring State of Connecticut. Kansas,
not a whit behind, produces birIs with
characteristics so remarkable that they
would hardly be believed in were not
the evidences before lis. When first
discovered they were thought 10 be fish
es; others considered them reptiles, but
it remained for scientific men to prove
them actually birds. The backbone is
like that i'll fishes, while the jaws are
armed with teeth. and their powerful
wings and formidable teeth would clear
ly seem to indicate creature capable of
prolonged flight and of carnivcrUis
nature. The most interesting specimen
discovered is the hcsperornis. 1t is
gigantic diver, and the jaw is set with
deep inferior groove, thickly lined
with sharp pointed teeth. The teeth
have acute crowns, covered with enamel
and supported on stout fungs. The ex-
ternal appearance OF the po' maxillanes
seems to indicate that these bones were
covered with a horny bill, as in modern
birds. The wings are Iudimentary.
Other birds have been found similar to
these that were six feet high.
But it remains for New Zealand to
thoroughly rival Connecticut in its bird
production. The gigantic moa comes
from there. Descriptions of it seem
now like tales OF the Arabian Nights, in
which the rocfgures. They grew to a
height of eighteen feet, were wingless,
and their bones were larger than those
of an OK. Their strength must have
been remarkable. Strange to say, the
remains of these monsters were found
in cave, which has been called the
"cave OF birds" Not only these Great.
ures, but the remains of the Maoris, OF
ancient inhabitants, were found with
them, showing conclusiyely that the
moa is one of the few animals that has
become extinct within the memory Of
man.
One of the most interesting birds that
has become extinct within the memory
of man is a monster pigeon, the Didu,
ineptus 1t was an inhabitant OF the
Mauritius island, and at the time of it,
discovery, in 1898, twas extremely com
mon but so effectually has it beer
eradjcated that it is now only represent
ed by few pictures of the seventeenth
century, and two heads, foot, few
feathers, and some of its bones that ART
scattered about among the museums o
continental Europe. From the picture,
above mentioned and the descriptions O
the early voyagers, it appears that THU
giant among pigeons was large, bulk,
bird, weighing seventy-five pounds. 1t
bill was long and strong, and the uppe
part of the mandible was SO horny
arched, hooked and ferocious in appear
ance that its discoveries for long tim,
considered it ground vulture. Its bod,
terminated in rounded extremity, be
ing destitute Of true tail feathers, having
tuft of plumes to take the place. Thos
birds were so frequent that the Dutcl
seamen destroyed them to obtain tn
rounded pebbles that were found i'll thei
pouches.
The extinction of animals is suppose,
by many writers to have been cause
by natural catastrophes, and the cas-
with which these animals were wipe
out of existence may explain the disar
pearance of other forms in the early tel
tiary period, in which man, though no
proved to have existed, in all likelihoo
did. Fifty years ago large bird, fort
inches in length, called the area aux
was occasionally found as far south a
Boston, and was quite common in til
Arctic regions. To-day not singl
specimen is known to exist in the world
having become totally extinct, but b
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