628 Transactions. — Geology. 



If we allow half as many again for the discarded bones we 

 have a total of 1,123 metatarsi, representing probably not less 

 than 800 birds. It will be noticed that more than half the 

 bones belong to Meionornis. Next come Euryapteryx and 

 Dinornis ; while Pachyorms is only half as numerous as the 

 two latter genera. This h very different from the collection I 

 obtained for the Otago Museum from Hamilton's, where, out of 

 176 metatarsi, 57 belonged to Enryapteryx, 52 to Pachyornis, 

 32 to Meionornis, and 26 to Dinornis, the most abundant 

 species being Pacliyornis elephantojms. 



Mode of Occukkence of the Bones. 

 The hills north-west of Waimate send out a spur in a 

 southerly direction to the Waihao Eiver. This spur is crossed 

 by a narrow gorge, known as the Waimate Gorge, which, 

 after crossing the spur, opens out into a plain, about three 

 miles long and one mile broad, at a distance of four miles from 

 Waimate. This is the basin of a former lake, which was 

 drained by the stream which runs through Waimate Gorge. 

 To the north the plain is bounded by Palaeozoic or Older 

 Mesozoio hills, and on the south by a low, narrow ridge of 

 Tertiary rocks, which separates it from the valley of the 

 Waihao Eiver. The plain is about 300ft. above the sea, and 

 the valley of the Waihao is about 100ft. lower. When the 

 settlers first came to the place the lake was not quite dry, for 

 a small pond still remained close to its former exit, at the 

 entrance to the gorge. This pond has been lately drained, 

 and it was there where the bones occurred. The drain, which 

 was 7ft. deep, did not disclose a single bone, although there 

 are bones on both sides of it in patches. The patch dug out 

 for the Museum was on the eastern side of the Government 

 drain, and was on the section belonging to Mr. T. A. 

 McDonald. The area excavated was 30ft. by 20ft., and the 

 section was as under : — 



3. Pale-yellow clay, 4ft. thick, soft and wet in places. 

 No moa-bones. 



2. Black sandy clay, l^ft. thick, with a few moa-bones. 



1. Tough blue clay, 4ft. to 5ft., full of moa-bones. 

 Below the patch of bones the blue-clay still continued down- 

 wards, but without any bones in it. The bones were mixed, as 

 usual, with large quantities of moa-stones — chiefly of white 

 quartz — of all sizes, from mere sand up to pebbles Ifin. in 

 diameter, thus proving that the bodies of the moas were 

 floated into the lake before decomposition. No large timber, 

 or other evidence of floods, was found ; only a few small sticks 

 here and there. There were large numbers of bones of young 

 moas ; but no egg-shell was found, nor any land or fresh- 

 water Mollusca. 



