Further Discovery of Dodos' Bones
Published Oct 1, 1904 · A. Newton
Nature
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Abstract
SINCE the astonishing discovery, in 1865, of innumerable bones of the dodo in the peat of the Mare aux Songes by Mr. George Clark, of Mahébourg, in Mauritius (Ibis, 1866, pp. 141–146), whereby Prof. Owen was enabled to describe the greater part of the skeleton of that remarkable bird (Trans. Zool. Soc., vi. pp. 49–80), and the subsequent researches at the same place of Mr. Sauzier in 1889, the results of which, when worked out by Sir Edward Newton and Dr. Gadow (Trans. Zool. Soc., xiii. pp. 281–302), almost wholly completed our knowledge of its osteology—besides affording evidence of the former existence of other con temporary species now extinct—nothing more has been re corded oh the subject.1 It was therefore with great interest that, just five years ago, October, 1899, I received a letter from M. E. Thirioux informing me of his having found, in the preceding month of August, some remains of at least two dodos in a small, partly collapsed cave, about 800 feet above the sea, and about two miles and a half from Port Louis. Encouraged by this success M. Thirioux continued his operations, a matter of some difficulty, not to say danger, from time to time, and was good enough to keep me acquainted with many of the results, sending me photographs of the bones which he was fortunate in disinterring from the soil. They were not all dodos' bones, but some be longed to other extirpated forms of birds—as the brevipennate parrot (Lophopsittacus), the “Poule Rouge” (Aphana-pteryx), and the coot—and reptiles—as Didosaurus and one or more of the land tortoises—all of which are very imperfectly known, while some of the small dodo bones are of great rarity, and at least one of them (the pygostyle) had not been seen before. From that time until very recently M. Thirioux has been continuing his researches, and has consequently formed a very considerable collection, which he now writes to me he has disposed of to the Museum of Mauritius, and I can but express the fervent hope that some competent person may be found to work it out and publish a memoir on it which will be a worthy successor to those that I have already mentioned.