A RIVAL TO THE MOA

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1887, 23 October 1913, Page 6

A RIVAL TO THE MOA

REMAINS DISCOVERED IN AUSTRALIA. In some of tlad dry lakes of Central Australia, said Professor David, in a, lecture iu Sydney last week, important discoveries Ijavo been made of the bones of gigantic birds of the genyoriiis typo, a sort of oirni, probably 13ft. high, and'' a little* taller than tlio moa. Then there was another animal of tho elephant species,' of which Professor David said there were thousands at one timo roaming over the plains. "They were about'tho size of small elephants," lie said; "they did not burrow under the ground or climb trees, and it is probable they just obtained food for themselves like modern elephants." Traces of a similar nnimal liad bean found in Tasmania, and it was most probable that at one timo there was » land connection between Australia ■ and ■ '-Us* mmria. In one of tho Tasmnnian lakes a specie fff shrimp had been found tq which thoy should "talso off their hats," as lie was tho first to go on tho land. (Laughter.) "Millions of years aco," said the professor, "the aiicostois at these animals lived in the sea, when probably they found tlioy had a gre.it - many enemies, so thoy went up tlio rivers —the next best thing to going on tlio. land. So far as is known, Tasmania is tlio onlv place whore thoy survive."-