Part 1

R Savary pinx. M&N Hanhart. imp. J Erxleben lith

DIDUS.]

MEMOIR ON THE DODO

(Didus ineptus, +Linn.+).

BY RICHARD OWEN, F.R.S.,

WITH AN HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION

BY THE LATE WILLIAM JOHN BRODERIP, F.R.S.

LONDON: PRINTED BY TAYLOR AND FRANCIS, RED LION COURT, FLEET STREET. 1866.

THE HON. ADOLPHUS F. O. LIDDELL, Q.C.

+My dear Neighbour+,

If our accomplished and lamented friend, Mr. +Broderip+, had been spared to see the evidences of the extinct bird of the Mauritius described in the following pages, he would probably have taken a more direct share in the present work, and he certainly would have felt equal pleasure with myself in inscribing it to you, in whose society we so often enjoyed pleasant and instructive discourse in the sylvan walks and tranquil shades of Sheen.

Believe me, Very sincerely yours, RICHARD OWEN.

Sheen Lodge, Richmond Park, August 1866.

CONTENTS.

Page

§ 1. Historical Introduction 1

§ 2. Description of the Skeleton 21

Vertebræ 22

Ribs 25

Pelvis 27

Sternum 29

Scapular Arch 31

Bones of the Wing 32

Bones of the Leg 33

Skull 35

§ 3. Comparison of the Skeleton 41

§ 4. Conclusion 49

ON THE DODO (Didus ineptus, +Linn.+).