Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-07-10
possessed four toes. and was not so tall

tire cast occupies CnaC pOSlGlOn OI equlI-
ibrium which must have been natural
to the bird when balancing its enor-
nous body upon its great feet.
GAsToRN1s P~AR1s1ENsIs.
This name was given to this fossil
bird in honor of the d~iscoverer. MI.
CASTOR Plante, of sunny France, in
1855. The gastornis belonged to the
order of waders, being supplied with
stout, long legs. 1t was a swimmer.
| also, like the swan. Bareheaded it
! stood about as high as our modern os-
trich, varying from six to nine feet. 1t
is placed among the gigantic birds not
so much because of its height as on
account of its enormous body. 1t was
as large as our modern COW or horse.
While it was a swimmer and wader it
did not take its nightly siesta upon the
bosom of the ancient waters, but slept,
like a stork, upon one leg. Its fossil
shows it to have been Of an ancient
age, though not the oldest among the
bird tribe.
Swans were also represented among
the tremendous growths of that age
when man was not, and the great con-
tinents we now inhabit were some of
them still beneath the waters. The
Island of Malta furnishes the bones of
a species of swan some three or four
times the size of any living specimen
of that graceful long-necked bird. In
dividual swans have been known to
stand four and even five feet from the
ground to the tips of their bills. The
gigantic swan of eye ancient days.
must have reached a height of at least
twelve feet.
HARPAGORNIS.
This eagle-like monster was the king
of the air. He is supposed to be the
same bird of which travellers in the
earlier days told strange stories. Mar
60 Polo tells in his "Voyages" of a
colossal bird which he found upon
the Island of Madagascar. He says it
resembled an eagle in appearance.
This tale was discredited, it beng
looked upon as a sort of fable which
he took the liberty to insert in his
"Voyagcs" to amuse his readers.
More light can be found concerning
this giant bird in the first volume Of
Voyages" by Captain James Cook,
page 113. Mr.. Cook says: 1--WE found
on Eagle Island northeast coast of
Australia) the nest of q bird of ire
mendous size. 1t was made of sticks
upon the ground, and was no less than
twenty-siX feet in circumference and
two feet eight inches high" This nest,
however, may not be certain evidence
that a tremendous bird built it. The
megapode (great foot), a native of
Australia, is remarkable for raising
large mounds of leaves and dccaving
substances, with which they cover their
eggs while Matching. The megapode's
the American partridge, with the ex-
ception of its feet. which are very large
and strong, with long claws. The nest
of the megapode has been found larger
than the n found by Captain Cook
upon the same island. a nest thirty feet
in diameter and six to eight feet in
height.
But we will not throw discredit upon
the story told by Captain Cook. Then,
you know, we have the 'true'' stories
told us by Mr.. 'Sinbad, the Sailor!"
And he tells us how on one occasion he
descended into a deep chasm by the aid
of the roc, which carried him, loaded
with diamonds as he was, up out of the
fearful gorge. This harpagornis must
have been a terror and a living flight
mare to the other denizens of the air.
He wal able to carry away with ease
the largest moa. He stood, when he
chose to test his height. eight to ten
feet high, and had a spread Of wings of
twenty-five feet, or eve more
DINORNIS GIGANTEUS.
The dinornis %gigaateus was the tall
est member of the moa family of wing
less birds, the two other members hay
ing already been mentioned, namely,
the dinornis ~elephantopes and the
to New Zealand and CONT uous islands.
moa was n 1889, when a fragment of
an enormous bone was sent to London,
which, at first, was supposed to belong
to an OK. Prof. Owen, however, claimed
the bone belonged to an extremely
large bird, ten to twelve feet in height.
AS late q 1864 bones have been discov-
cred Of the moa family which had the
appearance of not having been sepa-
rated from the living bird more than a
few years. Enthusiastic ornithologists
yet hope that a living specimen of this
gigantic bird may be obtained from the
Businesses of the yet unexplored in
terror of New Zealand.
The legs OF the dinornis %giganteus,
though the tallest of the moa family,
were not as stout and compact as were
those of its fellows; but they wcre as
big as those of a horse. The Zones
of an ostrich's legs look insignificant
beside them. Men and horses have
frequently been killed by a single
kick from an ostrich. The leg-bones
of the dinornis giganteus being so
much larger than those of an os-
trich, it is believed he could
break the leg of IN elephant. 1t
is believed, also, that he was able
to run on foot as fast as an express
train. The tremendous strength of
the %leg-bones of this running bird will
bear out this remarkable statement.
From the latest discoveries, the height
of a full grown dinornis giganteus
is computed at thirteen feet, and
even more. He, like the ostrich, had
the habit of picking up and swal-
lowing good-sized stones, ETC., to aid
in digestion.