THE DINORNIS, OR MOA.

BY MRS. LEE.

Several bones, and fragments of bones, reached server to tell whether the bird to which they England in the year 1843, from the northern- belonged could fly or not; but the secret lies in most island of the groupe called New Zealand, the presence or absence of air-cells. In birds of said to be those of a large bird, whose native flight these cells are so numerous and large, name was Moa. They were not fossilized, and that not only is the weight of the bones lessened retained much of their animal matter; although by them, but the whole bird becomes aërated. they had evidently been long buried beneath the In those which do not fly, they are but little demud, or sand, of the rivers on whose banks they veloped, or are wholly wanting ; and it was by were found. Professor Owen’s inspection of a knowledge of this, that Mr. Owen was enabled them at once confirmed the statement that they to pronounce so decidedly on the habits of the were those of birds; and, moreover, decided, that | Dinornis. If it had even the minute and rudimenthose birds had been of the Struthious or tary vestiges of wings which occur in the Apterya, Ostrich kind, but of a sluggish and clumsy they have been probably lost among the larger nature, perhaps nearly allied to the extinct bird bones, but as yet no traces of them have ap; of the Mauritius, known under the name of the peared, thus agreeing with the established Dodo; also to the Cassowary, and the Emu. To characters of wingless birds. The skull has

, this tribe Mr. Owen has given the generic name after much delay, reached England, and is of Dinornis; a combination from the Greek remarkable for its width, and fatness at the words, signifying surprising and bird.

back. The locality where the bones are found, is: A perplexing question has been solved by the that of streams which rise in neighbouring moun- discovery of the Dinornis, for it has remored tains; and the size of one of the largest thigh the doubts entertained by naturalists concerning bones gave rise to a report, that its owner had the fossil footprints

found in the New Red Sandbeen sixteen feet high ; but this was an exaggera- stone of Connecticut, by Professor Hitchcock. tion. Mr. Williams, the Church Missionary, The extent of the stride was such, that no one collected a great number, chiefly those of the dared to attribute them to a bird ; and yet they back, neck, and legs. He forwarded them to could not be referred to any other animal. The Dr. Buckland, and at the same time wrote, size of the Dinornis giganteus has now given that several traditions existed concerning this the explanation. enormous bird, some of which asserted that it No animal of the class Mammalia is known was still alive, although extremely rare; that it to have been indigenous to New Zealand, and lived in a cave, on the side of a hill, and was this gigantic bird"must have been sovereign of guarded by a reptile, resembling a lizard. An the soil, until man came to supersede and destroy American assured Mr. Williams that he had it. It would perhaps be scarcely wise to admit

, also received a native report, stating that two on the iinperfect evidence which we possess, Englishmen, belonging to a whaler, went ashore that it has lived during the period occupied by to see, and try to shoot the Moa. They sta- the present generation ; but there can be fitte tioned themselves by the hill at Cloudy Bay; doubt

, that the first Polynesian colony which but when the monster appeared, they were too established itself in New Zealand found it in frightened to attempt to kill it, and stood gazing existence. Its rapid disappearance since then, at it till it strode away. Mr. Williams offered a large sum to any one only large animal on the island which afforded

may be accounted for by its having been the who would catch this bird, or its protector ; but the pleasures of the chase, or substantial

, fleshy the only result of this offer was, the bones, to food. Mr. Owen suggests, with reason, the which allusion has already been made.

probability that the anthropophagous practices An increased importation of remains has of the New Zealanders succeeded to its entirenabled Professor Owen to ascertain, that the pation. Dinornis had three toes, and in many respects

With regard to the plumage of the Dinorais

, resembled the much smaller nocturnal bird, the no guess can be made as to its colour or texture ; Apteryx ; of which a living specimen has been but

the same acute observer, who has so ably sent to the Zoological Society from New Zea- opened its history to us, suggests, that as the land : the long, slender bill of the latter, and a present natives are fond of decorating their hapa small fourth toe, being the exceptions to the tles with the feathers of the Apterys

, they have general resemblance. It also appears that there probably derived the custom from their ance were seven species of Dinornis, the largest of tors; and it is possible that a cloak, which has which, the Dinornis giganteus, stood ten feet descended from father to son, may yet remain

, six inches high, instead of sixteen.

to show the outer covering of the Dinornis It may seem strange to the uninitiated, that and it is well worth while to seek it amongt the structure of bones should enable the ob- New Zealanders.

If we throw a glance over those birds which worms and insects, like the smaller Apteryx, we have imperfect wings, or have none at all, we turn to the Flora of New Zealand as the source shall find that those whose powers of movement whence it derived its subsistence. The principal are least restricted, have the widest range. The feature of this is a nuinber of Ferns, the highly nuOstrich, for instance, whose wings assist it in tritious and farinaceous underground stems of running, inhabits Africa, from the Cape of Good which probably supplied ineals for the Dinornis ; Hope to the further confines of Arabia ; the Rhea ia conjecture which is confirmed by the enormous vanders over the larger portion of South America; , strength and development of the vertebræ of the the Cassovary is limited to a few islands in the neck, which enabled it to pluck these stems from Indian Seas; the Dodo probably never went fur- the soil; while the immense power of its legs ther than the Mauritius and Rodriguez; while served for scratching and scattering away from the Dinornis and Apteryx were, and are, con- them all the obstructions presented by the fined to New Zealand.

ground in which they grew. Thus they, like all As the Dinornis had none of the attributes of the rest of God's creatures, show the beautiful a bird of prey, as the country which it inhabited adaptation of His works to the purposes for presented no food for such, and as we cannot which they were created. suppose that so large a creature could subsist on

A W I F E. On the strength of a college friendship, my very beautiful: she had the most magnificent newly-married crony, Mark Thornton, asked me eyes I have ever seen-dark, shy, and wild; but to spend the first month of the shooting season there was an habitual expression in them which at his seat of Wellsmere Manor. I accepted it would puzzle me to describe; I used to think the invitation, and my present sketch relates to they were like the eyes of a person whom some circumstances which happened during the visit. extraordinary grief has deprived of the power I must premise that I mean to eschew all men- of shedding tears. Her husband was a most tion of single or double barrels, of pointers or agreeable man, and a brilliant conversationist : spanies, of wonderful shots, and, in short, of all whatever subject was started, he had always that has reference to the ostensible purpose of something to say exactly to the point, something my visit. I am not essentially of a sporting turn which everybody else had been thinking, but of mind; and there are so many of the story- which no one could have put into words. His writers of the present day who enter into the wit was poignant and original. He seemed to topic with such manifest gusto, that I think my have a power of touching

some universal chord, readers will not regret my determination. which thrilled in every breast, and which anOn my arrival, I found several guests already svered instantaneously to his master-hand. He at the Manor House, and more came daily, until had a fine voice too, and sang well. With these the dinner-table was slightly crowded, and the accomplishments, it may be supposed that he drawing-room presented a tolerable muster in was a general favourite. Men and women liked the evening. There was no lack of sleeping- him equally; and his fascination was so great, foems, however. The upper story of the house that he even escaped envy. He seemed to take was a perfect labyrinth, in which it was an a strong liking to me from the time of our introevery-day occurrence for some one or other of the duction. He frankly asked me not to be an guests to lose himself. Indeed, accidents of this acquaintance, but a friend; and a day never kind happened so often, that my host seriously passed but I spent a great part of it alone with talked of having the doors numbered, as at an him. hotel: and it would have been a good plan. There was one circumstance which I soon disI had not seen the bride before, but I liked covered, and which before long became so evident her at once. She was one of those sparkling, to the general circle that it was a subject of confascinating little brunettes, who are always say- stant remark--this was, that Mrs. Fairfax was ing piquant things—or things which appear so never easy when her husband was out of her from the way in which they are said. She was sight. She watched him so continually, that I invariably good-humoured and agreeable with believe the only time throughout the day that he everybody; and beneath her brilliant and mo- was relieved from her incessant vigilance, bide exterior, there was a vein of true-knit feel- when the ladies left us after dinner for the ing. A sister of hers, with her husband (who drawing-room. I thought I could perceive that bad been in the army, but had lately retired), he was somewhat bored by his wife's constant was at Wellsmere.

Between this sister and surveillance; but he endured it all with exemMrs. Thornton there was the most complete plary patience, and I never heard him give her contrast. I do not mean in person—though one angry or peovish word. I was at a loss to Mrs. Fairfax was the taller and finer woman of what to ascribe Mrs. Fairfax's watchfulness ; the two--but in manner. Mrs. Fairfax was as but I at length set it down to jealousy, the more cold and constrained as her sister was volatile. especially as there was a young lady in our comAt times she was perfectly

repulsive. She

was ! pany who could not exist save in an atmosphere

was

was

of flirtation, and who, when single gentlemen | amount of game which he bagged, it would be were not in the way, would coquet most charm- | considered incredible. ingly with married men.

We returned to the Manor House to a late Mrs. Thornton would often jest with her on dinner-all of us, except him, more or less the subject; but although she joined in the fatigued; but he was more lively than usual

. laugh, the mention of this peculiarity seemed Mrs. Fairfax, that evening, for once aroused always to make her nervous and uncomfortable, herself into sociality. I talked with her for and she invariably disclaimed any knowledge of some time, and was surprised to find that she watching her husband.

could be agreeable. She had much of the viva. I think it was about a week after my arrival, city of her sister, though it appeared slightly when one morning at. the breakfast-table Fair forced; and there was a pervading tone of bitfax declared his resolution of joining the shooting- terness in her style of thought, which betrayed party that day. He had never been out with us itself in a quick reply or a sudden repartee. It before-somewhat to my surprise; for I had ga- seemed to me that she wished to remove any thered from his conversation that he was an expe- impression which the incident of the morning rienced sportsman. As he made the announce- might have left upon my mind. She did not, ment, my eyes were unconsciously directed however, succeed: the thrilling tone of her voice, towards his wife. She turned deadly pale, and the wringing of her husband's hands, her whole for a moment I thought she would have fainted. attitude, haunted me; and I was before long an No one observed her change of countenance ex- unintentional witness of another scene which cept myself; and her face so soon resumed its indelibly enfixed both itself and the former one ordinary hue and expression, that I did not upon my memory. think much of the circumstance. After a mo- I have said that the upper part of the Manor ment or two, she said, addressing her husband, House was of a most rambling and labyrinthine “Reginald, I want you to ride with me to-day." description. My chamber was situated in a long He replied abruptly that he could not, for he had

narrow gallery which communicated with the just completed arrangements for joining the chief flight of stairs through four if not five torsportsmen that morning.

There the matter tuous passages. I had hitherto managed to dropped until breakfast was over; and the lady's thread these mazes with tolerable accuracy, and, demeanour remained as cold and impassive as to say truth, rather plumed myself on my knowusual.

ledge of localities, when one forenoon, having We had risen from the table, and occasion to seek my room for some article or standing looking from the window, when I was other which I wanted, I did not take time enough suddenly startled by an exclamation uttered to consider my plan of operations, and suddenly with so much intensity, that I hurried hastily became aware of the unpleasant fact that I was round. At a little distance Mrs. Fairfax was lost. After wandering blindly for some mostanding with her husband. She wrung both ments in the strangest places which the imaginahis hands in hers as she said, “ For God's sake, tion of man can conceive, I emerged into a galReginald, do not go!" There was such an lery which was the counterpart of that in which agony of supplication in the tones, that I was my room was situated. There was one door startled out of all propriety, and remained gazing which bore exactly the features of my own, and on the pair till Fairfax perceived me. With his which I at once proceeded to, and opened

. The customary adroitness he addressed me at once, first object which caught my sight was Mrs. and, in a strain of lively badinage, begged me Fairfax, kneeling by the bedside, her hands to assist in allaying his wife's fears. She had, clasped, her pale face upturned, her dry-strained he said, an invincible antipathy to gunpowder eyes full of an expression of the most unutterable in fact, that it was this very antipathy of hers agony. She was as still and as silent as inarble

. which had caused him to sell out of the army. The whole figure betrayed the most total abanShe also turned to me, and confessed, with a donment to despair. 'I caught but a single wan, painful smile, that she had an absolute glimpse of her before I retired, and yet to this dread of fire-arms. I do not know why, but I day I have a more vivid remembrance of that felt excessively uncomfortable ; I could not be- upturned face than of anything which I have lieve that those tones of intense agony could seen through my whole life. By some means ! spring from the mere pretty affected fear of a found my way to my own room, and I stayed

However, her supplication had no there for some time before I descended. When effect on her husband: he joined the party of I re-entered the drawing-room, I found Mrs, sportsmen, and during the whole morning-I Fairfax seated at her embroidery, with her usual being one of the number-he was almost con- cold, constrained demeanour. “It was evident stantly at my side. He was more amusing than she had not noticed my entrance into her cham; ever : he kept up a continual flow of brilliant

ber, and it need scarcely be said that I offered conversation, replete with bon-mot and anec- no apologies. I saw plainly there was some dote; and at our pic-nic luncheon his sallies mystery about the lady which I racked my were so irresistible, that the merriment of our brain vainly to discover. party became almost uproarious, and even the The circumstances I have related so worked stolid game-keeper's boy relaxed into a broad

upon my imagination, that I became nervous grin. As to his morning's work, it was some and uneasy, until I seemed to be under some thing wonderful : were I to reckon up the horrible fascination, I was seated one evening

woman.

tie-d-tête with Mrs. Thornton (we had now, About three years after, I received a commuperhaps through my long friendship with her nication from Thornton, which elucidated all the basband, become great friends), when she said, mysteries that had made me so uncomfortable. "I cannot think what is the matter with Clara.” He told me that Mr. Fairfax-the brilliant, the She alluded to her sister, who was sitting alone gay, the agreeable-was immured in a private at some distance, gazing at her husband, who lunatic asylum, and was raving mad. He told stood talking to a lady more in our neighbour- me, too, what his heroic wife had at length conhood. "Have you observed anything peculiar fessed-how, knowing his terrible malady, she in ber manner" she continued. I was at a had, for years, lived on, expecting hourly some loss how to answer; so, as is not unusual, I be- appalling tragedy, and with a superhuman lieve, on such occasions, I descended to a com- strength of purpose had kept her dreadful secret pliment, and murmured, “ All ladies cannot be to the last. It was not she who made the disLady Adelines; there must be some Aurora closure. By a frantic attempt on his own life, Haly's

, if only for the contrast.” She went on he revealed what he had so successfully laboured with the topic, and I found that she was really to hide for so long. theasy about her sister. She said she was so I do not mean to deny the terrible risk, both diferent to what she had ever been before; that as to herself and all others, which Mrs. Fairfax she need to be as mobile and vivacious as she incurred; but still I cannot help admiring so vas now cold and impassive. She seemed determined a heroism. Many women have perations to know whether I had observed any formed great deeds of valour on the impulse of peculiarity about Mrs. Fairfax, hoping, I thought, the moment; but in very few will you find anyto find that there was nothing strange in her thing approaching to the calm endurance and sister to one who had not known her before, quiet fortitude of Mrs. Fairfax. although the change was sufficiently evident to

RAWDON. herself

. I answered vaguely; but I think she perceived that I was uneasy on the subject, and that I did not speak what I thought. During our conrersation, Mr. Fairfax had joined us unobserved . With anxiety depicted on his face,

A SUMMER SONG. he came and seated himself between us, saying, with a sorrowful smile, “ You must admit me

Sweet Summer cometh, into your consultation. I think that I am at

Laden with flowers ; least as much interested in it as you.” Then

Dew-drops like jewels, turning to Mrs. Thornton, he frankly owned

Spangling her bowers: that he had overheard part of what we had been

Softly her light winds saying. I arose, that I might leave them toge

Fan the glad earth; ther; but he laid his hand upon my arm, and

Wood-minstrels chanting begged me to resume my seat. “ I can trust

Nature's new birth! Dy friend," he said, even on so delicate a topic

Beauty hath crown'd her a this." He went on to say, that the melan

Goddess of Love; eboly of his wife was a subject of much concern

Fragrance floats round her, to bimself , and that he was glad of the oppor

Light glows above! tunity of opening his heart to those who could fe! with him. All that he said I cannot now

Summer is fading,

Mournful winds blow; remember ; but, notwithstanding he empha

Soon shall stern Winter tically declared that he believed she was suffer

Veil her with snow: ing from nothing but nervous debility, he left a

Then must her flower-wreaths strong impression on my mind that Mrs. Fairfax

Wither and die, was deranged. Questionable as might be the

And her bright dew-drops delicacy of entering on such a subject before a

Icicles lie! comparative stranger like myself, yet there was

Life wears a signet, 1 much true manly feeling in all he uttered,

Graven with “ Change!” and his face betrayed so earnest a sorrow, that I

All we hold dearest felt nothing but commiseration and respect.

Time may estrange! He concluded by saying that he was convinced bis wife required further change of scene, and

There is a Summer declared his sudden resolution of starting the

Death cannot blight; next day for the Continent.

Earth hath no glory

Riv’lling its light; The next day he and his wife departed; and

There life's lost jewels as it is only of them that I write, I will chronicle

Flash from the thrones;" none of the events which happened during the

There Love's hush'd harp-notes

Wake their sweet tones; remainder of my stay at Wellesmere Manor.

And there fair blossoms

Hope sheds the while-
Find their fruition
Beneath Heaven's smile!

E. L.