468 Transactions. — Miscellaneous. 



Art. XLVIII. — Status quo : A Betrospect. — A Few More 

 Words by way of Explanation and Correction concerning 

 the First Finding of the Bones of the Moa in Netv Zea- 

 land; also St7'ictnres on the Quarterly Bevieioer's Severe 

 and Unjust Beviarks on the Late Dr. G. A. Mantell, 

 F.B.S., dx., in connection with, the same. 



By W. CoLENSO, F.E.S., F.L.S., &c. 



Mark now, bow plain a tale shall put j'ou dowu. 



Shakf.sp., " K. Heury IV.," Part I., Act 2. 



No pleasure is comparable to the standing upon the vantage-ground of truth. 



Bacon, Essay I., " Of Truth." 



[Read before the Wellington Phllosoxjhical Society, 24th February, 



1892.] 



My attention having lately been called to a book published at 

 Wellington by the Government in 1889, entitled "The Litera- 

 ture relating to New Zealand : a Bibliography," by J. Collier, 

 I obtained a copy. 



In looking into it I was greatly surprised on reading the 

 following remark made by the compiler (p. 13J-) : "Dr. 

 Mantell sought to claim for Mr. Coienso priority in the dis- 

 covery of the struthious character of the moa. The Quarterly 

 Bevieiu, xc, 401:, 405, note, disposes of the claim. Professor 

 Owen's first memoir was despatched to New Zealand in De- 

 cember, 1839, and received in 1840. Mr. C.'s paper, dated 

 May 1, 1842, appeared in Tasmanian Journal, vol. ii., No. 8, 

 1844."''' And, although this note of the Quarterly Eeviewer 

 was made forty years ago, I had never before heard of it. 



I much regret this, for I had again written on the moa in 

 1879, t fully and exhaustively, as I then supposed, and so had 

 quite done with it. 



On the other hand, I am pleased in now detecting that 

 remark and the note, as I think I shall be able clearly to show 

 its error, and this with respect to the late Dr. Mantell as well 

 as to myself. 



As a matter of course, I sought to know much more than 

 Collier's brief remark communicated. I endeavoured to 

 obtain a copy of the Quarterly Bcview vol. xc, but for some 

 time failed. None were to be found in Napier, and, as far as I 

 could learn by repeated inquiry, none in Wellington — save, 

 probably, in the General Assembly Library. Consequently I 



* Corrected in a footnote to "No. 7, 1843." 

 i Tians. N.Z. lust., vol. xii., p. 63. 



