Pile-builder megapode ulna, a distal left ulna, a distal-end left ulna proximal, and a half right femur. When the early settlers of the Lapita culture arrived in Tonga around 1500 BC, they found only marine species such as sea turtles and giant forms of terrestrial birds such as megapodes, doves, and rails. The hunting of these bird species for food led to their rapid extinction. In New Caledonia, the giant megapode might have survived into historic times. William Anderson, a naturalist and surgeon's mate aboard during James Cook's second South Sea voyage, described a bird from New Caledonia with bare legs, which
What Is a Nation? What Is a Nation? "What is a Nation?" ("Qu'est-ce qu'une nation?") is an 1882 lecture by French historian Ernest Renan (1823–1892), known for the statements that a nation is "a daily referendum", and that nations are based as much on what the people jointly forget, as what they remember. It is frequently quoted or anthologized in works of history or political science pertaining to nationalism and national identity. Renan wrote "What is a Nation" in order to symbolize the nationalism which was born in France as a result of the French Revolution of 1789. Renan begins his essay by noting