File:The genera of birds (18988986270).jpg

Order IV. COLUMB.E.
Family I. Columbetxe.
The fifth Subfamily,
DIDINiE, or Dodo,*
have the Bill longer than the head ; with the basal portion, for two thirds of its length, covered by a
membrane, and the apical part corneous and vaulted, with the tip hooked and acute ; the tip of the
lower mandible overlapped by that of the upper mandible, and the gonys short and curved upwards ; the
Nostrils placed in the fore part of the membranous portion of the bill, and near the lateral margin, with
the opening exposed : the Wings and Tail imperfect : the Tarsi short, robust, and covered with small
irregular scales: the Toes moderate; the fore ones free at their base, and the lateral toes equal; the hind
toe long and strong.
Didus Linn.f
Bill strong, and much longer than the head ; with the culmen straight for some distance from the
forehead, and then gradually arched to the tip, which overlaps that of the lower mandible, and is acute ;
the sides compressed ; the lower mandible strong, with the gonys short, and suddenly curved upwards ;
the nostrils placed in the membranous portion (which occupies two thirds of the bill), near the apex and
the lateral margin, with the opening oblique, exposed, and oval. Wings imperfect. Tail apparently
consisting of a tuft of (five) curved broad feathers. Tarsi as long as the middle toe, robust, and covered
with rather small irregular scales, lessening towards the knee joint, and a few at the base of the toes
narrow and transverse. Toes moderate, broad, and transversely scaled above ; the outer toe shorter than
the inner, and the base of the anterior toes free ; the hind toe rather long, on the same plane with the
others, and covered above with transverse scales ; the claws short, strong, and blunt.
This bird formerly inhabited the Island of Mauritius, where it is supposed by Mr. Strickland to have lived in the
dense forests of palms and various other trees that once covered the island, " wandering from tree to tree, tearing with
its powerful beak the fruits which strewed the ground, and digesting their stony kernels with its powerful gizzard,
enjoying tranquillity and abundance until the arrival of man destroyed the balance of animal life and put a term to its
existence." The nest is stated by the old voyagers to have been made of herbs or grass heaped together in the depth of
the forest, and the female is said to have laid only a single egg at a time.
D. ineptus Linn. Edwardss Birds, pi. 29-t.

• I had formerly considered that this subfamily formed part of the order Struthionid^:, but M. Reinhardt's idea of the type being
  

a piyeon having been so ably proved by the careful investigation bestowed on the head and foot by H. E. Strickland, Esq., and Dr. Melville,
I am now induced to place this remarkable subfamily among the Colvmb^e.