HuTTON. — On the Moas of Nciv Zealand. 



125 



Tibia : Breadth at the proximal end, 3 -Sin. ; at the distal 

 end, 2-5in. ; at the middle of the shaft, I'lin. ; antero-posterior 

 thickness of shaft, 0-7in. 



Distribution. — Found at Timaru in a bed of clay of Upper 

 Miocene or older Pliocene age. Mr. Stubbs's collection at 

 Timaru contains two broken tibiae which are sufficiently per- 

 fect to allow measurements of the bone to be taken. One 

 (PI. XVII., a), about Gin. long, is the distal end of a right tibia, 

 and shows the lateral position of the groove for the tendon of the 

 extensor muscle of the toes, as well as the anterior prominence 

 of the inner condyle, which are so characteristic of the tibia in 

 the Dinornithidse. The osseous bridge is broken away. The 

 other specimen (PL XVII., 6), B^in. long, is the proximal portion 

 of a left tibia which agrees closely in size with the first specimen, 

 so that the total length of the bone can be estimated with con- 

 siderable accuracy. Both are imbedded in red clay.''' I regret 

 that I am unable to give any measurements of the broken 

 metatarsi in Mr. Miller's collection, as these bones are not now 

 in Timaru, and I have not been able to see them. Conse- 

 quently the length given for the metatarsus is conjectural. 

 However, photographs of the proximal end of a right meta- 

 tarsus (PI. XVII., c) show distmctly the grooved hypotarsal 

 process, with the outer side more prominent than the inner, 

 which is also a character of the Dinornithidse. 



The species is about the size of Cela geranoides, but it is 

 very unlikely that it belonged to Cela, because no bones of 

 that genus have ever been found in the South Island. Anoma- 

 lopteryx contains the smallest individuals known in the South 

 Island, and as it is also found in the North Island the genus 

 must have been in existence in the older Phocene, when the 

 two Islands were joined. This consideration induces me to 



* I cannot understand Mr. Forbes's remark, with reference to these 

 fossils, that " the largest, nearly Sin. in length, were undoubtedly portions 

 of Dlnornis bones of one of the greater forms " [I.e., p. 367). 



