Part 67

{189} Cela Reichenbach. Dinornis Owen, part. Meionornis Haast. Anomalopteryx Lydekker. Mesopteryx Parker.

Emeus Reichenbach. Euryapteryx Haast. Syornis Hutton. Dinornis Owen, part.

Pachyornis Lydekker. Palapteryx Haast. Dinornis Owen, part. Euryapteryx Hutton.

Palaeocasuarius Forbes. *Megalapteryx Forbes, part.

Anomalopteryx Reichenbach. Meionornis Haast. Dinornis Owen, part.

I have adopted Professor Parker's classification in the genera, only substituting Cela Reichenbach for Mesapteryx Hutton, which is a synonym of Megalapteryx Haast. As to the species I have used my own judgment; I felt obliged to name a number of species acknowledged by Parker and Lydekker but not named, because this system of indicating species by the letters A, B, C, &c., which has crept into our nomenclature, will make all understanding impossible, as not always the same species is denoted by the same letter. A few of these species will naturally later have to be sunk, as some have been founded on skulls and others on leg bones, or so, which, when we get perfect individual skeletons may prove to be identical, but I do not think these will be many.

Besides a number of imperfect eggs, particulars of which will be found in Dr. A. B. Meyer's article in the Ibis, 1903, pp. 188-196, there are known two perfect Moa eggs and one almost perfect one.

1. Otago Museum. Molyneux River, 1901. Pachyornis pondorosus.

2. Tring Museum. Molyneux River, 1901. Megalapteryx huttoni.

3. Rowley Collection. South Island, 1859. Dinornis novaezealandiae.

{191}

DINORNIS.

The skull is broad and much depressed, with a comparatively wide, somewhat pointed and deflected beak. Breadth at the squamosals twice the height at basi-temporal. It has a flattened frontal region, and a wide median ridge on the upper surface of the praemaxillae. The mandible is in the form of a narrow U, with the angle much inflected, no distinct anticular process, and the symphysis moderately wide, narrowing anteriorly, with a prominent and broad inferior ridge, widest in front. The quadrate is elongated, with a very large pneumatic foramen. The sternum is nearly as long as broad, very convex, with distinct coracoidal facets, 3 costal articulations, very small and reflected costal processes, the lateral processes very broad and widely divergent, and a wide xiphisternal notch. The pelvis is narrow with a high ilium, in which the inferior border of the postacetabular portion is flat, and does not descend as a sharp ridge below the level of the anterior postacetabular vertebrae. The pubis has a small pectineal process; and the ventral aspect of the true and postacetabular vertebrae is very broad and much flattened.

The distal extremity of the tibio-tarsus is not inflected. A hallux is present in some species. The tibio-tarsus and tarso-metatarsus are long and slender, the length of the latter equalling and more often exceeding the length of the femur, and also exceeding half the length of the tibio-tarsus. The femur is comparatively long and slender, with a short neck, the head rising but slightly and projecting only a small distance, the linear aspera in the form of a long irregular line, the outer side of the distal extremity moderately expanded, the popliteal depression small, deep, and sharply defined, the profile of the inner condyle semi-ovoid and narrow, and the interior trochlear surface nearly flat. The phalangeals of the pes are long and comparatively slender, the proximal surface of the terminal segments not being trefoil-shaped. In the vertebral column the middle cervicals are long and narrow, with the postzygapophyses directed much outwardly and separated by a very deep channel, and the posterior face of the centrum low and wide. The dorsals have short transverse processes and neural spine, the anterior and middle ones (those with a haemal spine or carina) having a large anterior pneumatic foramen between the nib-facet, the foramen being triangular in shape. All the species of this genus are of comparatively large size, and include the tallest members of the family.

Type of the genus: Dinornis novaezealandiae (Owen).

Number of species: 7. {192}

DINORNIS MAXIMUS OWEN.

Dinornis maximus Owen, Trans. Zool. Soc. VI. p. 497 (1868).

D. excelsus Hutton, Trans. N.Z. Inst. XXIV. p. 110 (1892).

D. giganteus Haast, Trans. N.Z. Inst. I p. 88, No. 20 part.

This is the largest species of Moa, the tibio-tarsus being from 37.5 to 39.2 inches in length, while that of the largest D. giganteus does not exceed 35 inches, but by far the largest number of the latter are considerably shorter.

The type bones were obtained in Glenmark Swamp, Middle Island of New Zealand, and were sent to Professor Owen by Major J. Michael of the Madras Staff Corps. Casts of these bones are in the British Museum, No. A 161 in the Palaeontological Department.

This bird was the tallest of all known birds, though it must have been considerably exceeded in bulk by Aepyornis ingens and Aepyornis titan of Madagascar.

Locality: Glenmark Swamp, Middle Island, New Zealand.

DINORNIS ALTUS OWEN.

Dinornis maximus Owen, Ext. Birds N.Z. p. 253 (Dr. Lillie's specimen) (1879).

D. altus Owen, Ext. Birds N.Z. (1879) p. 361.

D. giganteus var maximus Owen, Trans. Zool. Soc. VI p. 497 (1868).