652 



Transactions. — Geology. 



Upon digging down about 2ft. we found some rotten flax- 

 sticks, and a bed of water-worn shingle. Probably the birds 

 had been drowned and washed down this old watercourse, 

 became stranded, and were gradually buried beneath the accu- 

 mulating sand. 



It has been stated that in the early pai't of this century 

 the moa was hunted by the Maoris in Southland. I am of 

 opinion that this statement is not correct, as Captain William 

 Stevens, who was one of the earliest settlers in Eiverton, 

 states that he believes the moa has been extinct in Southland 

 for many years, equal to several generations of the Maori 

 race. 



They must at one time have been numerous, as the larger 

 bones have been found in many parts of the district. In this 

 connection Captain Stevens has written me an interesting 

 letter, which I give in full. Writing on the 25th May, 1895, 

 he says, " I arrived here in the first week of 1843, and at 

 that time there was a deal of talk among the natives about 

 the moa, but I could never find that any of them had ever 

 seen one — at least, a live one. What I heard about the moa 

 was just handed down by tradition from father to son. I can 

 give you some names of the oldest Maoris I knew, but their 

 ages I could only guess. The following are the names of a few 

 I was well acquainted with : First, Temarama, aged seventy, 

 father of Topi, present chief of Ruapuke ; second, Pekau, 

 about eighty ; third, Temoau, about eighty ; fourth, Mokau, 

 about eiglity; fifth, Pararaoa, about seventy; sixth, Haumai, 

 about eighty-eight. I could mention many more— perhaps 

 fifty more — but they v^^ere very old, and too imbecile to be 

 relied on." 



Note by Captain F. W. Hutton. 



Both of the skeletons referred to above belong to adult 

 individuals of Dinornis maximus, as the following measure- 

 ments of the leg-bones and skulls will show (measurements 

 in millimetres) : — 



