Hamilton. — On Flax Mats found in Otago. 487 



Do not let rne raise a false hope — I cannot worthily describe 

 the whole details of so great an undertaking, but I wish to 

 place on record a few particulars of some extremely old 

 specimens of weaving found in the cave-shelters of central 

 Otago. 



The first formed a portion of the wrappings around a 

 skeleton found in one of the burial-caves or rock-shelters in 

 the Strath-Taieri, on the property of Mr. William Bennett. 

 It is but a small fragment of a coarse woven mat of partly- 

 dressed flax, resembling very coarse cocoanut matting. The 

 dressing of the flax being very incomplete, the golden hue of 

 the surface of the dried flax-leaf still appears in some of the 

 thicker shreds. The warp is very thick (9mm.), and roughly 

 plaited or intertwined with stiff white feathers (of a bird which 

 I am not yet able to identify). Just enough of the shaft 

 of the feather is twisted in to hold it firmly ; the rest of 

 the feather sticks out at different angles. In some of the 

 strands, feathers of a brown weka (Ocydromus) are included. 

 The woof which binds the coarse warp together is 2imm. in 

 diameter, and the knot used is very curious (see fig. 1, PI. LIL). 

 Time and insects have destroyed many of the feathers, leaving 

 only, in some parts, a fine down of a grey colour. Together 

 with this venerable fabric was an inner wrapper made of the 

 skins of Ocydromus sewn together. The skins were well pre- 

 pared and dressed, being probably rubbed with wood-ashes, 

 and were still covered in part with feathers of a dark variety of 

 the weka {Ocydromus) . In the bare part the pterylosis showed 

 plainly, and, with the small apertures through which the tiny 

 wings had been removed, completed the identification. The 

 edges of these skins — five in number— were folded down about 

 an eighth of an inch, and oversewn with thin twisted flax twine 

 from the back. Over one of these seams on the front I found 

 a narrow strip of skin, placed apparently to cover the join, very 

 much decayed, 3in. long by ^in. wide, but still carrying a 

 dark-grey down, and five or six double-shafted feathers of the 

 moa. They were much moth-eaten, and became detached 

 from the skin during examination. The fragment is certainly 

 somewhat microscopical, yet it has a great interest in being, 

 so far as I am aware, the only piece of moa-skin yet recognised 

 as occurring on a mat or covering. The fragments of these 

 wrappers, and the feathers, are in the collection of Dr. Hocken, 

 and I am indebted to this gentleman for the opportunity of 

 examining the find. 



II. Another flax mat from the same district has been for 

 some years in the Otago Museum ; and, as I found on exami- 

 nation that it is of unusual construction, I now give a brief 

 description of it. The general appearance is not very dif- 

 ferent from that of a good kaitaka flax mat from the North 



