Æpin us, FRANZ

ULRICH THE ODOR, 1724-1802. Prof. in Berlin and St. Petersburg. He wrote on the temperature of the earth and the general phenomena of the atmosphere. Æpyornis. The legendary "Roc," a dromæognathous bird recently exterminated in Madagascar. In 1851 the first description appeared of its egg, which had a thick shell, measured 8ł by 12 inches, being 34 inches in circumference, with a capacity equal to 144 hen's eggs, or two gallons. The leg bone of this bird measures eighteen inches in circumference at the head. The bird stood nearly fourteen feet in height. It was incapable of flight, having rudimentary wings, and, like the Moa , probably defended itself by kicking.