No. 12. Dinornis elephantopus, Owen
Of this remarkable species, bones of at least nine, more or less complete, individuals were excavated, of which four were of the same size as those figured by Professor Owen, while the five others decrease gradually to the size of No. 13, without my being able to find any line of demarcation between them. Of one of these large specimens which were found together in their natural position, I give here the measurements: they represent, at the same time, the character of the three large specimens excavated.
Of the Glenmark bones, the metatarsus is generally larger than Professor Owen’s, according to his measurements: the tibia, between the two measurements he gives; the femur is also slightly smaller than the one Professor Owen figures:
| Length of bone. | Girth of proximal end. | Girth of shaft, thinnest part. | Girth of distal end. | |
| Tarsus metatarsus | 9·8 in. | 12·3 in. | 6·8 in. | 15·2 in. |
| Tibia | 22·8 „ | 18·7 „ | 6·3 „ | 14·5 „ |
| Femur | 12·8 „ | 15·5 „ | 7·7 „ | 17·4 „ |
When examining the back of the metatarsal bones of these and of the following Nos. 13, 14, 15, and 16, which form, probably, one distinct genus of the Dinornithes, I observed in most of them distinct and sometimes rough grooves, which appeared to have been caused by the attachment of the rudimental metatarsus of the back toe. At the same time, the numerous back metatarsal trachleas, back phalanges, and spurs of different sizes, suggested the probability that they belonged to those remarkable birds, which in every respect are quite distinct from the species of which I gave, before, the measurements, as well as from the larger forms of Dinornis giganteus and robustus, about which I shall speak in the sequel. As I have sent a complete set of these back metatarsal bones to Professor Owen for examination, I have no doubt that the conclusion I arrived at will be fully verified, and that thus another subdivision has to be made, to which all the elephantopus and crassus species may belong. Moreover, the form of the skulls of these remarkable species, having all the same characteristic features, differs so much from those of the other Dinornithes that it offers us confirmatory evidence of their being quite a distinct genus.
No. 13. Din. (elephantopus?)—Smaller size.
We obtained the leg bones of seven specimens, which agree in size and form in every respect. They are the smallest size of the elephantopus species, in the gradation downwards. There is then a distinct break between this No. 13 and the next size, No. 16, Din. (crassu?).
The eight leg bones forwarded to London are those which articulated
