414 Transactions. — Miscellaneous. 



nents to remain unanswered. To prevent the comparative- 

 philological line of inquiry being again overlooked, I have 

 resolved to put it on record in the pages of the Transactions, 

 if space is kindly allowed to me. Moreover, some years have 

 elapsed since I wrote the former paper, and I have now more 

 knowledge of the subject than at that time. 



To my view, the present position of the argument stands 

 thus : The geologists and zoologists have gathered together 

 certain facts, which they have embodied in their papers on 

 the subject. Those who may be called "the traditionalists'' 

 have no possible pretence for attacking these facts ; the evi- 

 dence is unimpeachable, and stands " foursquare to all the 

 winds that blow.'' But, if the natural scientists leave the solid 

 standing-ground of facts, and begin to theorize, then they 

 leave their entrenchments, and are open to the attack of many 

 assailants. To exemplify, so long as the geologist states, "I 

 have found the bones of the Dinomis in such-and-such posi- 

 tions ; I have found the egg-shells and the feathers thus and 

 thus," then he is in a safe and impenetrable position. But 

 if he leaves his shelter, and says, "Because the bones are 

 found in quantities on the surface of the ground and in swamps, 

 therefore the Maoris must have known the Dinomis, and they 

 called the Dinomis the 'moa,'" then it is open for the tradi- 

 tionalist to answer, " I doubt this very much," and for the 

 philologist to say, " That is improbable." When a geologist 

 states, " We have found neolithic weapons and tools, together 

 with Dinomis bones, in native ovens," he is within his own 

 lines ; but if he comes forward and remarks, "Because polished- 

 stone weapons are found in encampments of Dwornis-hunters, 

 therefore the Maoris slew the Dinomis, by them called the 

 ' moa,' " then the archaeologist or ethnologist is at liberty to say, 

 "You are travelling outside your position, and I shall meet 

 your assertion as to these weapons having belonged to ancient 

 Maoris by the counter-assertion that the weapons belonged to 

 the ancient Irish or the ancient Danes, because little difference 

 can be found between the neolithic implements and weapons 

 of diverse races, and neither assertion can yet be proved." 

 This, then, is the present position : a waiting in order of 

 battle, with here and there a skirmish, but the fate of the day 

 yet undecided. 



I need not rehearse at any length the arguments used by 

 geologists and zoologists ; they can be found in references by 

 consulting Professor Hutton's paper, and at full length in 

 easily-procured volumes. Briefly, the record stands thus : 

 The bones of hundreds of specimens of different species of 

 Dinomis have been found both in the North and South Islands. 

 At Hamilton and Glenmark they were found in swamps. In 

 Te Aute Swamp the leg-bones were discovered in a vertical 



