In 1839 a single, puzzling fragment of bone led anatomist Richard Owen to propose the existence of a gigantic flightless bird: the moa. That bold reading arrived just before Darwin's ideas reshaped natural science and sparked skepticism, debate and intrigue.

Richard Wolfe follows the bone from its discovery into museums and correspondence, showing how anatomical evidence, personal rivalries and Victorian scientific culture combined to produce one of the century's notable natural history revelations.

Accessible and focused, the book will appeal to readers of history of science, natural history and biography by illuminating how discoveries are interpreted, contested and eventually understood.

• Close look at Owen's 1839 analysis
• Context of pre-Darwinian debate and museum science
• Blends anatomical detail with 19th-century personalities

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