Lot 159 (Out of the Ordinary, 13th February 2018)
Dodo femur bone
Dodo femur bone,
Mauritius, before 1690,
14.5cm long
This lot includes a copy of 'The Dodo: From Extinction to Icon' by Errol Fuller.
Provenance: Errol Fuller, author of 'The Dodo: from Extinction to Icon'.
The dodo femur on offer is from a group, of dodo bones discovered in 1885 during the investigation of the Mare aux Songes swamp, Mauritius by schoolmaster George Clarke. Hearing that a few bones had been found in this area, Clarke hired local servants to wade through a swamp and feel for, further bones with their feet.
The dodo has been extinct since the 1680s. The story of the dodo is particularly important as it demonstrates one of the first occasions that man realised that human actions alone caused a species to die, out.
The dodo was related to the pigeon family and successfully lived on the island of Mauritius. With no natural predators, they became flightless, and adapted to happily living life on the ground until the Dutch colonised the island in 1638, at, which point they became hunted for sport. With the colonisation came new species to the island, such as rats, dogs, cats and pigs, which all contributed to the extinction of the flightless dodo.
Sold for £3,800
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The auction details are as follows:
Auction: Out of the Ordinary, 13th February 2018
Viewing
9 February 2018 9am - 5pm
11 February 2018 10am - 1pm
12 February 2018 9am - 5pm
13 February 2018 from 9am
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