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30 SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO PALEOBIOLOGY
Cor. •
Hum.
Uln.
Cpm. < i
Fem.
Tbt.
Tmt.
80
I
-100 120
I
140
I
160
I
180 200
I
• Psittacula krameri, standard
* Mascarinus mascarinus, fossil
D M. mascarinus, Recent, Paris and Vienna
+ Necropsittacus rodericanus
O Coracopsis nigra, min. and max.
FIGURE 12.—Ratio-diagram of the dimensions of bones of fossil Mascarinus mascarinus from Reunion, compared
with those taken from x-radiographs of the two mounted specimens (MNHN, Natural History Museum of
Vienna) and with Coracopsis nigra. The standard is Psittacula krameri (Pierce Brodkorb 27712). For C. nigra
the dimensions are the minimum and maximum of the specimens at AMNH (3571, 4399), MNHN (LAC 1883-
507-1883-509), and USNM (224810, 292917, 432236). Coracoid measurement is of internal length; for other
bones, measurement is of total length. When measurements are not known, successive points are united by
dashed lines. (Cor.=coracoid, Cpm.=carpometacarpus, Fem.=femur, Hum.=humerus, Tbt.=tibiotarsus, Tmt.=
tarsometatarsus, Uln.=ulna.)
subspecies from the Comoros and Praslin are smaller (Forshaw,
1973).
According to the accounts of the early explorers, there were
at least four species of parrots on Reunion. The description given
by Dubois of "parrots a little bigger than pigeons, the feathering
of the color of petit-gris, a black hood on the head, the
beak very strong and the color of fire" is considered to apply to
M. mascarinus (Barre and Barau, 1982:31, our translation).
Petit-gris is the name given to the fur of the Eurasian Red
Squirrel {Sciurus vulgaris Linnaeus) in its dark phase. Two
other species were a grey parrot, which according to Feuilley
was smaller than M. mascarinus, and a green parakeet with a
black ring, the Reunion Ring-necked Parakeet, Psittacula
eques (Boddaert), which probably was conspecific with the
still-living Mauritian Echo Parakeet (Cheke, 1987). A fourth
species, which was the same size as P. eques, was described by
Dubois as a "green parrot with head, upper parts of wings, and
tail color of fire" (Barre and Barau, 1982:31, our translation).
FIGURE 13 (opposite).—Fossils of falcons, coots, pigeons, and parrots from the
Mascarenes. Falco duboisi: a, left coracoid, Grotte de l'Autel, 330548, posterior
view, xl.5; b, left tibiotarsus, paratype, Grotte des Premiers Francais, 1993-30,
anterior view; c, right tibiotarsus, paratype, Grotte des Premiers Francais,
1993-33, anterior view; d, left femur, paratype, Grotte des Premiers Francais,
1993-29, posterior view; e, left tarsometatarsus, holotype, Grotte des Premiers
Francais, 1993-28, anterior view. Falco punctatus: f left coracoid, Montagne du
Pouce caves, Mauritius, MNHN, not numbered, posterior view, xl.5. Nesoenas
duboisi: g, right humems, Grotte de l'Autel, 330546, anconal view; h, same, palmar
view. Fulica newtonii: i, sternum, Grotte des Premiers Francais, 1993-39,
ventral view;/ right tibiotarsus, Grotte des Premiers Francais, 199341, anterior
view; k, right tarsometatarsus, Marais de l'Ermitage, 1811, anterior view; /, right
coracoid, Marais de l'Ermitage, 1814, posterior view; m, left ulna, distal part,
Marais de l'Ermitage, 1815, internal view. Streptopelia picturata: n, right
humems, proximal part, Grotte "au sable," 330738, anconal view, xl.5. Mascarinus
mascarinus: o, right humems, Grotte de l'Autel, 330539, anconal view;p,
same, palmar view; q, left carpometacarpus, Grotte de l'Autel, 330544, internal
view, xl.5; r, left coracoid, Grotte de l'Autel, 330545, posterior view, xl.5; 5,
same, anterior view, xl.5; /, left ulna, Grotte de l'Autel, 330541, palmar view; u,
same, internal view; v, left femur, Grotte de l'Autel, 330543, posterior view; w,
same, anterior view; x, left tibiotarsus, Grotte de l'Autel, 330542, anterior view.
Mascarenotus grucheti: y, right tarsometatarsus, holotype, Grotte des Premiers
Francais, 199349, anterior view. (a,f n,q,r,s xl.5; others natural size.)