The Age of the Internet: The Library is about to go the way of the Dodo

The Dodo (Raphus cucullatus), a giant flightless bird whose only living relative is the tiny (by comparison) Nicobar pigeon, lived on the Indian Ocean Island of Mauritius until it was hunted out of existence by rapacious Dutch sailors in the 1660s.

The Portuguese were the first known humans to set foot on the then uninhabited island a mere 80 years earlier but thanks to the Dodo’s tasty poulette the Dutch could not resist indulging their palates to the detriment of the poor creature.