150 Transacti&ns. — Zoology. 



It is not my intention to enter into a detail account of 

 the structure of the eggshell, but I append references to 

 literature in which these details will be found. 



The present egg has the usual pale-buff colour. The sur- 

 face is more or less worn or dissolved away by the action 

 probably of the water passing through the soil ; and, in 

 comparison with various fragments of eggs from elsewhere, 

 the surface is not shiny, though worn smooth, but over two 

 areas at opposite ends of the equator the surface is fairly 

 perfect. It is here marked by numerous small pits and short 

 linear furrows of various lengths and depths (vide Hutton), 

 but averaging 1 mm. in length. They are irregularly ar- 

 ranged, but always disposed lengthwise. There are about 

 twenty such furrows to the square centimeter, and about as- 

 many pits ; but the relative numbers vary in different parts, 

 for by comparing this complete specimen with other less 

 perfect eggs, in which the surface is not weathered, it ap- 

 pears that the pits are rather more numerous towards the 

 poles and the linear furrows round the equator. In shape this 

 moa's egg is relatively longer and narrower than that of an 

 ostrich, and in this particular specimen one pole is slightly 

 larger than the other ; but in this matter there appears to be 

 some variability in moas' eggs. I have seen others in which 

 the two poles are precisely alike. The following measure- 

 ments were taken: Length between vertical uprights, 195mm. 

 (7f in); breadth between vertical uprights, 135 mm. (5^ in.); 

 greatest circumference, 522 mm. (20^ in.); lesser circumfer- 

 ence (equatorial), 428 mm. (16| in.) ; weight, 286-5 grammes. 



I had an opportunity of examining a second entire egg, 

 which was obtained some months later by the same man 

 about a hundred yards below the spot at which our specimen 

 was taken. The egg had been dipped in shellac (?), and was 

 in a very dirty condition when it was brought to the Museum 

 in order that the taxidermist might clean it before its trans- 

 mission to London for sale. He refused, however, to under- 

 take the responsibility. I took the following measurements, 

 from which it will appear that this second egg was rather 

 larger than our specimen ; the two ends were similar, so 

 that the egg was a perfect ovoid: length, 201mm.; breadth, 

 138 mm.; greater circumference, 540mm.; lesser circumfer- 

 ence, 440 mm. I did not weigh it. 



Both these eggs, as well as two or three other more or less 

 damaged specimens that have been through my hands, appear 

 to belong to the same species of raoa, if we may judge from 

 their agreement in dimensions. As the commonest genus in 

 Otago was EurycqAeryx, we may safely regard some species of 

 this genus as the parent. It would be dangerous, however, to 

 attempt to indicate the species, for size of egg is no guide to 



