Extinct Birds Part 55

Width of tibio-tarsus 30 "

Width of proximal end 75 "

Width of distal end 60 "

Length of tarso-metatarsus 310 "

Circ.u.mference of tarso-metatarsus 80 "

Width of shaft of tarso-metatarsus 27 "

Width of proximal end 70 "

"_Mullerornis betsilei_ inhabited the same area as _Ae. mulleri_ but was much rarer. (Translated.)"

Habitat: Central Madagascar. {232}

MULLERORNIS AGILIS MILNE-EDW. & GRAND.

_Mullerornis agilis_ Milne-Edwards and Grandidier, Compt. Rend., CXVIII, pp. 125-126 (1894).

Original description as follows:--"_M. agilis_ inhabited the South-west Coast; we only possess, of this species, one tibia, which is remarkable for the manner in which the intermuscular bony ridges and the tendon-grooves are marked. The exterior border of the bone above the lower articular surface has developed into a very p.r.o.nounced crista." (Translated.)

"Length of tibio-tarsus 440 mm.

Circ.u.mference of tibio-tarsus 97 "

Width of tibio-tarsus 34 "

Width at proximal end 65 "

Width at distal end 75 " "

Habitat: South-west Madagascar.

{233}

FLACOURTIA ANDREWS.

Differs from _Mullerornis_ in having a completely ossified bony bridge over the lower end of the groove for the adductor of the outer digit, in the tarso-metatarsus.

Number of species: 1.

FLACOURTIA RUDIS (MILNE-EDW. & GRAND.)

_Mullerornis rudis_ Milne-Edwards & Grandidier, Compt. Rend. CXVIII, p.

126 (1894).

_Flacourtia rudis_ Andrews, Nov. Zool. II, p. 25 (1895).

Original description as follows:--"The third species _M. rudis_ (= _F.

rudis_) was discovered by M. Greve in the fossiliferous beds of the West Coast. The tibio-tarsus is of about the same length as in _M. betsilei_, but is more ma.s.sive. The tarso-metatarsus is remarkable on account of the great enlargement of the distal extremity, and of which the digital articular attachments are extremely large. Between the middle and outer ones there is a bony opening for the pa.s.sage of the adductor muscle of the outer digit, which pa.s.sage is not present in _Aepyornis_ (or _Mullerornis_, W.R.)." (Translation.)

Length of tibio-tarsus 400 mm.

Circ.u.mference of tibio-tarsus 100 "

Width of tibio-tarsus 35 "

Width of distal end 75 "

Habitat: West Madagascar.

{235}

DROMAIUS PERONI NOM. NOV.

(PLATE 40.)

_Casoar de la Nouvelle Hollande_ Peron, Relat. Voy. Terr. Austr. I p.

467, pl. x.x.xVI (1807).

_Dromoius ater_ Vieillot, Gal. des Ois, pl. 226 (not text).

_Dromaeus ater_ Blyth, Ibis 1862, p. 93.

It is most unfortunate that the larger number of authors have neglected to go carefully into the synonymy of this bird; if they had done so it would not have been necessary, after 81 years, to reject the very appropriate name of _ater_, and to rename the Emu of Kangaroo Island. Vieillot, in the Nouveau Dictionnaire D'Histoire Naturelle X, page 212, distinctly states that his _Dromaius ater_ was a name given to Latham's _Casuarius novaehollandiae_, and makes no mention of Peron or of the Isle Decres.

The figures in Peron's work of the adult male and female are not good, but those of the young and nestlings appear to me to be very accurate, and the plate in the Galerie des Oiseaux is quite excellent. The latter and my own are taken from the type specimen in the Paris Museum, while the plate in Peron was done by Lessieur from a series of sketches from life made by himself on Decres Island and in the menagerie of the Jardin des Plantes.

The only known specimens of this extinct species are the mounted skin and skeleton in Paris and the skeleton in the Florence Museum. All these are what remain of the three living birds brought to Paris by Peron, and no other authentic specimens exist anywhere. There is in the Museum at Liverpool a full-grown, though immature Emu of the same size as _Dromaius peronii_, but owing to its proportionally longer legs and very scanty plumage it is not absolutely safe to identify it as a second mounted specimen of _D. peronii_. I will recur to this lower down.

Description of adult male (ex Cat. Birds Brit. Mus.): Similar to _D.

novaehollandiae_, but much smaller, and with feathers of the neck entirely black; feathers of the body brown fulvous, with the apical half very dark blackish brown; bill and feet blackish, naked skin of the sides of the neck blue. Total length about 55 inches, tarsus 11.40, culmen 2.36.

Immature in first plumage entirely sooty black. Nestling whitish with longitudinal bands of rufous brown. In addition to Decres or Kangaroo Island, also Flinders, King Islands, and Tasmania had Emus living on them {236} at the time of Peron's visit, and I believe, if authentic specimens from these localities were in existence we should find that each of these islands had had a distinct species or race of Emus. Taking this for granted, and also taking into account that it is slightly different from the type of _D. peronii_, I have come to the conclusion that the Liverpool specimen is an immature, though full-grown individual from one of these other islands; but it is not possible from this one rather poor specimen to separate it from the Kangaroo Island species, especially as there is absolutely no indication of the origin of this specimen.

Habitat: Island of Decres or Kangaroo Island.

One stuffed specimen (Type) and one skeleton in Paris, one skeleton in Florence, and one stuffed specimen in Liverpool (an species diversa?). Also some leg-bones in Adelaide, Australia.

Dr. H. O. Forbes, who kindly lent me the last-named specimen, was the first to point out the differences of this bird from _D. novaehollandiae_. It is certainly totally distinct from birds of similar age of either _D.

novaehollandiae_ or _D. n. irroratus_. {237}

DROMAIUS MINOR (SPENCER).

_Dromaeus minor_ Baldwin Spencer, Vict. Nat. XXIII, p. 140 (1906).

As Mr. Bernard H. Woodward, of Perth, West Australia, was organising an expedition to Kangaroo, Flinders, and King Islands (December, 1906), to hunt for Emu remains on these islands, I had hoped to be the first to describe what I felt sure would be two new species of _Dromaius_. I have, however, been forestalled by Professor Baldwin Spencer in the case of King Island, whence a collection of 17 femurs, 19 tibio-tarsi, 28 tarso-metatarsi, and portions of 8 pelves, made by Messrs. Alex. Morton and R. M. Johnston, T.S.O., formed the material for the description of a new species.

The diagnosis is as follows: "Smaller than _D. ater_ (= _D. peronii_ mihi).

Tibia not or only slightly exceeding 330 mm. in greatest length.

Tarso-metatarsus not exceeding 280 mm. in greatest length. Pelvis, length not or only slightly exceeding 280 mm."