The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-10-22
ANIMALS REDIsCOVERED.
NOtornis of New Zealand and the
south American Ground SIOth.
From the London Standard.


From the London Standard.
Every one who is solicitous for the pres
ervation and protection of vanishing bird
fauna will hear with interest of the redis-
covery near Invercargill of Mantens no
tornis. the large fiightTess gallinuis of
New Zealand. Little more than fifty years
have elapsed since the first bones of the
creature wero sent to England, and de-
termined by Prof. owen to belong to a
bird of the rail- family. of which we have
in Britain seven examples: four of them,
the landraii, the water rail, the coot and
the moor hen, being generally familiar,
while the other three are more or less fire.
quent visitors to our islands. As the inn
perfect skull on which owen based his
opinion was clearly fossil, it was believed
that the bird was extinct, but within two
years couple of skins we're sent to Eng
land by Walter Manten, son of the emil
nent paiaeontoloSist, and in 1880 the faith
er had the satisfaction of bringing before
the Geological Society the results of his
sons finds, which are now to be seen in
the bird gallery of the Natural History
Museum.
From these specimens visitors may see
what the notornis was like; while, in ad-
dition 10 illustration in Sir Walter Bull
ems Birds of New Zealand which APP
peals 10 ornthoogisis, there have been
published figures of the birds i'm books in
tended for the general public. Unfortun-
ately, the bones of these two examples
were not preserved, so that our national
collection is without a skeleton, though
there is one, the skull of which is imper-
feet, in Dresden, and another in Dunedin
Museum. The redscovery of he bird may
perhaps give rise to hopes scarcely likely
q realized nf tho OF hi r.,
for some time longer in the New Zealand
aVifauna. From the nature of the case
it seems hardly possible 10 adopt meas
ures Of protection for the few stragglers
that may yet survive, though the legisla-
tors and scientific men at the autinodes
should be able TO take such measures as
will insure the utilization 10 the fun of
all material that may come to hard.
From South American comes stiii strang-
err news-the confirmation of the long ru-
mored discovery of a living representative
of the gigantic ground sloth. Some years
ago a collector named Ramon Lista re-
ported 10 DR.. Ameghno of Buenos Ayres
that he had seen and shot al a mysterious
animal in the interior OF Santa Cruz in
the southern portion of the Argentine ter
ritory. According to his description, the
animal in size and shape resembled pan
kolin-the scaly ant eater Of the old world
but was without scales and covered with
reddish hair. He was confident that ne
had hit the creature, which was proof
against his bullet, and disappeared in the
thick brushwood, where long and careful
search proved Intellectual. The collector
was known TO be a competent naturalist
a good observer and a Trustworthy man.
Nevertheless, the tale seemed so extra
ordinary that DR.. Ameghino felt sure that
Lisa had been in some way mistaken. Yet
the correctness of his observation has now
been completely vindcated. for some re-
mains of an animal shot by Indians in
Patagonia have recently been sent 10 DR.
Ameghino, and these, in his opinion, put
the existence of this creature. heretofore
unknown 10 SC ence, beyond doubt The
skin has no scales. but Embedded I'm 1t are
bony plates comparable TO those Of the
mylodon, one Of the gigantic ground
sloths which, too bulky o be aboreal pro-
cured their food by supporting themselves
on the hind limbs and tail and tearing
down the branches of trees. The larger
forms, which riNa,ed the elephant in Size.
became extinct in the Plelstocene period.
but in Tertiary times a smaller form
seems 10 have existed.
Justice has al las been done TO the
memory Of Lista who died in exploring
the Pilcomayo for in naming this i'm
porran tina Ne0myi0 don l. sal Or. Amcg-
hino has a. once expressed his opinion
as 20 IFS relationship and commernorated
the only naturalist who has seen the am
NAL IN the flesh.