PENGUIN BONES DISCOVERED

Southland Times, Issue 25748, 11 August 1945, Page 3

PENGUIN BONES DISCOVERED

SANDSTONE CLIFFS IN NORTH OTAGO (P.A.) DUNEDIN, August 10. Dr B. J. Marples, Professor ot Zoology at Otago University, who some time ago discovered at Duntroon, m North Otago, a fossil whale skeleton many millions of years old, has continued his researches on this site, as a result sandstone cliffs which many centuries ago were submerged nave yielded more valuable specimens, and from them Dr Marples has taken the most comprehensive collection ot penguin remains ever assembled m new Zealand. , Previously only three types or pe - guins had been identified by f °ssils found in the Dominion and these types were represented only by some o bones at Duntroon. Dr Marples has found remains of complete skeletons, even to the beak, all representing new species. The only other collection of penguin fossils that can compare with the specimens found by Dr Marples is in South America, but it is in many respects inferior. , Bones of birds of all sizes were found in the sandstone and a study of them supports the theory that in gene penguins have decreased in size. One of the most intriguing finds made by Dr Marples is a collarbone, which indicates that it almost certainly came from a flying bird, probably of the Albatross type. If this assumption proved to be correct the specimen will be the first fossil of the flying bird found in New Zealand, an d- hs !s~ covery will open up an interesting held for speculation by New Zealand scientists.