Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-03-31
AUS rRA THE SKELETON OF AN

] III. ~. G..
/ great feathered creation was common
/ sight on the Australian plains.
The place of discovery is called LAKE
! CALEDONIA. and is located m south Aus
tralia. 1t is has at any time been visited
bv other than the natives, Dr. Stirring
found no trace OF the fact. lake GAIA
Donna is one of those basins which are
dignifed with the name or lake, out oiiy
become such during those tremendous
downpours Of water which transform the
seeming Australian desert into the YER
dure-clad plain. When DR.. Stirring Visi'eu
II II was really a hard, clay, salt )ah'
covered with glittering crystals OF gypsum
and salt. IL is salt that preserved the
bones. Salt accompishes this althoush
II renders the bones exceedingly brittle.
The remains of the big bird were louhu
associated with those Of other eNtiAct
marsupials Owing 10 the tact OF lle
extreme brittleness caused by the salI'
the task of recovering and preseINlhs
them Was one Of exceeding difhculty. II
was. however accomplished saIely' anu
so far as can be determined, all that Was
necessary TO make up perfect specimen
Of the bird secured.
The study of the skeleton as IL mas pceu
prepared and placed together In TINS Guy
instance. the tibia and femu- are almost
exactly the same in both size and proper
tion as those Of the moa, traces OF when
have been found in Connecticut, IN tue
Tinted States Then there Is jump OF
centuries 70 the present day, ior me
sternum or breastbone resembles thtt q
the emu as IL exists now. The leg-Dones
are like those OF the elephant bird Wnlch
science knows as the Diornis Elephanlo-
pus. The neck and head must nave re-
sembled. in life, those OF an ostrlch OF
tremendous proportions
Careful study of the remains in detalI
showed that the bird was without Wings,
and therefore is likely TO have possessed
many Of the habits Of the ostrich. Per
hans no better idea Of the size of the
bird can be obtained than from the
measurement OF it's skull which was !
foot 2 inches. 1t is probable this ira
lived i'm marshy places and fed on nero
age. Stin, It was also apparent that the
foes were small and weak. which has
caused some Of the psychologists 10
doubt the marshy ground feature OF bf'
Strings explanation. However that may
he il is apparent that the bird was
dweller Of the plains and that, Il least'
in the vicinity of the marshes II mnst
have found the food which preserved It's
life.
DR.. Strings discovery has created
Great interest. IL recalls TO those VINO
have Investigated and taken deep in
terest in archaeological matters dis
coyery by Dr. Deane. of Greenfield. Conn,
in the United States, who found impress
sions resembling the feet Of birds in some
slabs OF sandstone taken from the Con-
necticut river. one Of the tracks had
been made by foot which left a print
twenty inches In length, from which II is
estimated that the bird was four times
larger than the ostrich. While, as stated,
the toes OF the Australian bird were small
and weak there is a marked resemblance
between them and the foot whose print
was found upon the Connecticut sand
stone The resemblance is too marked
I'm detail TO be ascribed TO the general
construction Of foot which pertains to
all birds.
The footprints OF birds are peculiar. and
more readily distinguishable than those
of most other animals. Birds tread on
the toes only. These are articulated
TO a single metatarsal bone at right