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The chronology of observations of two extinct flightless birds in 17th century Mauritius, the dodo (<i>Raphus cucullatus)</i> and the red hen (<i>Aphanapteryx bonasia)</i>, and what names or descriptions were used for them, is re-examined. It was concluded that the balance of probabilities is strongly against birds called <i>dodaarsen</i> without descriptions in the 1680s being dodos rather than red hens. The dodo had disappeared earlier due to predation by pigs, but a hiatus in settlement broke observational continuity, yet folklore preserved the name and transferred it to the red hen. The dodo&#8217;s extinction thus happened unobserved.