HuTTON. — On the Moas of Neio Zealand. 153 



colonist, and acnte observer — says that at Moa Flat, in Otago, 

 the bones were scattered around the plains on the old lake- 

 terraces, or in shallow ravines washed out b}' the floods and 

 rain. " Around these ancient lake-beds the remains of the 

 moa were most commonly found in heaps, in piles, in layers, 

 and so found in a state of what may fairly be termed per- 

 fect preservation, with moa-stones underneath each skeleton. 

 . they were simply lying on the surface." He also 

 " observed the same thing on the terraces, and in shallow 

 gullies evidently washed out by rain, but always at a certain 

 elevation — at Hamilton and other parts of the Maniototo 

 Plains — but never on the plains."''' Sir James Hector also 

 says, " The greatest number of moa-bones were found where 

 the rivers debouch on the plains."! Mr. Booth says, "I find 

 below a certain level that would leave the whole Maniototo 

 Plain under water there are no moa-bones to be found with 

 the exception of near the mouths of the burns coming in from 

 the hill, where the bones have been brought down by freshets. 

 . . . . I have crossed these plains in several places, and do 

 not recollect ever having seen a moa-bone below the level 

 spoken of. I have also inquired of several shepherds who live 

 on the plain, and who have walked over every acre of it, and 

 none of them recollect having seen a moa-bone below the level 

 I have mentioned."! 



This evidence seems to be sufficient. But how are we to 

 account for the number of dead birds washed down by the 

 floods ? It is a remarkable fact that, while the bones of young 

 moas are rare in Maori cooking-places and in caves, they 

 formed a very large proportion of the bones at Glenmark and 

 at Hamilton : indeed, in the older peat-bed at Hamilton, under 

 the clay, the bones of young birds were as numerous as those 

 of adults. Most of these young birds are from one-half to 

 three-quarters grown, mixed with a few others. Another 

 interesting fact is that neither at Hamilton nor at Glenmark 

 was a single fragment of moa-eggshell found. § We cannot 

 suppose that all the eggshell has been dissolved, because at 

 Hamilton I collected from the peat many delicate land and 

 fresh-water shells, and in the swamps of Madagascar fragments 

 of eggshell of JEpyornis are said to be not uncommon. We 

 must conclude that the female birds died at a time of the year 

 when they contained no hardened eggs ; and this, together 

 wdth the large number of young birds, points to the autumn or 

 winter as the time when the moas died. It is also evident 



* " The :\Ioa," Wellington, 1890. 



t Trans. N.Z. Ini3t., vol. iv., p. 115. 



\ Trans. N.Z. Inst., vol. vii., pp. 132, 133, 



§ A piece of eggshell is reported as having been found at Enfield. 



