82 Rev. W. Colenso on some enormous Fossil Bones 



natives, however, had from time to time seen very large bones ; 

 larger, from their account, than those of an ox ; these bones they 

 cut up into small pieces for the purpose of fastening to their 

 fish-hooks as a lure instead of the Haliotis shell*, it answering 

 that purpose much better, from its going more equably through 

 the water. 



It was almost ludicrous, whilst at the same time it showed the 

 powerful effect which this belief of theirs had over them, to wit- 

 ness their unconcealed fear, almost amounting to horror, on 

 being requested to go to the residence of the Moa to procure it, 

 or as a guide thither for that purpose. Unlike, too, what has been 

 very frequently observed in savage nations, this fear seemed not 

 to arise from any degree of superstitious dread, but merely from 

 an abiding conviction of the physical powers of this prodigious 

 animal ; as well as from their belief of the moral certainty of 

 such powers being put into immediate action, if they dared to 

 intrude within the precincts of his resort. 



As a matter of course, I treated the whole story (as far as re- 

 lated to the present existence of such an animal) as fabulous; 

 looking on it as one more of those many peculiar tales and 

 legends which so abounded in the " olden time," and which every 

 nation under heaven invariably possesses ; and I could but think 

 what an excellent companion for the celebrated roc\ of oriental 

 story and fairy-tale for the nursery it would have made, had it 

 but been known a little earlier. 



On our return to the Bay of Islands, several natives from the 

 East Cape district accompanied us. From them I subsequently 

 received pretty nearly the same detail concerning the Moa, as I 

 had given me before when in that neighbourhood. 



In the following year, 1839, the Rev. W. Williams again 

 visited that district, accompanied by the Rev. R. Taylor. The 

 non-arrival, by the time appointed, of the vessel by which these 

 gentlemen were to return to the Bay of Islands, (and through 

 which cause they were detained a fortnight at the East Cape,) 

 afforded them much more leisure time than I had when there. 

 Mr. Taylor, hearing of this Moa, prosecuted his inquiries, and 

 was subsequently rewarded with the discovery of (what appeared 

 to be) a part of a fossil toe (or rather claw ?) of some gigantic 

 bird of former days. 



In the summer of 1841-2, I again visited those parts. At 

 Waiapu I gained the information, that Wakapunake (the moun- 

 tain where the Moa was said to reside) had been visited by some 

 baptized natives, purposely, to ascertain the truth of the common 

 belief, and which they declared to be altogether without founda- 



* See Note B., Appendix. f See Note C, Appendix. 



