102 Transactions. — Zoology. 



cases still having even the slender fibula in position. The 

 birds all belonged, with one exception, to the genus Anomalo- 

 pteryx, one of the small-statured genera of moas. The excep- 

 tion was a femur of a true Dinornis, found in an adjoining 

 cave. The skulls found have proved of value, as demonstrat- 

 ing the structure of the skull in young individuals, and have 

 been worked up by Professor T. J. Parker, F.E.S., in his 

 valuable paper on the skull of the moa. Whilst the examina- 

 tion of the skulls was proceeding the curious feather-pits on 

 the occipital portion were observed, ' :: and found to occur 

 plainly on some of the specimens— probably the males. Two 

 distinct types of sternum are found, and are assigned by Pro- 

 fessor Hutton to A. didinus and A. didiformis. The splendid 

 preservation of the bones has enabled two skeletons to be set 

 up, which are very complete, and especially perfect in the 

 skull region. One type of sternum has deep coracoid depres- 

 sions, but no scapulo-coracoid has been recognised yet to go 

 with them. 



Eemains of young and immature birds are plentiful, and 

 may assist in the study of the pelvis and other bones. 



Aptornis. 



The remains of Aptomis were described by me in the last 

 volume of the Transactions (vol. xxiv., Art. VII.), and I have 

 nothing to add in this paper, as no other bones of this bird 

 were found during the digging ; all that were obtained were 

 found near or at the surface. This is somewhat curious, as I 

 fully expected to find some of the missing bones at a lower 

 level. 



Ocydeomus. 



The remains of the weka, or Maori hen, were naturally to 

 be expected in a deposit of this kind ; and the majority of the 

 bones appear to have been of the existing species (0. australis), 

 or possibly some of its varieties. The number of individuals 

 represented is quite small when compared with those of the 

 kiwi or kakapo, and the bird must have been at all times 

 scarcer. At the present time it is so nearly exterminated by 

 the progress of settlement and other causes that I have had 

 considerable difficulty in getting bones of the South Island 

 species for measurement. Doubtless wekas are still plentiful 

 on the West Coast, but in the open country of the eastern side 

 of the Island .they are now scarce. In the North Island the 

 species found there seems to hold its own, and in some parts 

 of Hawke's Bay even to increase. It is interesting to notice 

 that the south and south-west of the South Island are credited 



See above, Art. II., p. 4. 



