560 Transactions. — Miscellaneous. 



Art. LXVI. — The Date of the Extinction of the Moa. 

 By H. C. Field. 



[Read before the Wellington Philosophical Society, 1st November', 1893.] 



During the discussion which followed the reading of Captain 

 Mair's paper,"'' on the 5th October, 1892, on this subject, illus- 

 trated by translations of Maori traditions respecting the bird, 

 I said that my own impression %vas that the moa became 

 extinct at widely different dates in the various parts of the 

 colony ; that north of Auckland, where the land was narrow 

 and densely peopled, the whole of these birds were soon killed 

 off, so that the missionaries seem to have heard nothing about 

 them (though Mr. Polack, who seems to have seen some of 

 the bones, did so, aijd in his "New Zealand," published in 

 1838, expressed his belief, from Maori statements, that some 

 still survived) ; that when the missionaries visited the east 

 coast of this Island they also saw bones and heard of the bird, 

 though under a different name ; and that it was not until the 

 Eev. Eichard Taylor came to Wanganui, and found the bones 

 in considerable quantities (particularly at Waingougoro) , that 

 the name of "moa" became attached to the bird. I also 

 referred to assertions of these birds being heard or seen by 

 Europeans and Maoris at comparatively recent dates, both in 

 this and the South Island ; and in reply to our President, Sir 

 W. Buller, I said that it was a pity that the doubt as to the 

 recent existence of the moa had not been started in the early 

 days of the colony, because forty years ago plenty of evidence 

 could have been got from old Maoris who had hunted and 

 eaten these birds, and were perfectly acquainted with their 

 habits ; and I promised to collect any information now avail- 

 able on the subject. I now therefore put before you several 

 pieces of evidence, arranged according to the apparent dates 

 at which the birds referred to in them were alive. 



The first is a letter which appeared in the Wangamii 

 Chronicle of the 5th October, 1890, arising out of the dis- 

 covery of some moa-bones near Wanganui having given rise 

 to some local discussion as to the living birds ; and, in reply 

 to my inquiry as to the probable date of the feast referred to, 

 Mr. Eees said he did not know exactly, but inferred, from the 

 Maori statements, that it had taken place apparently between 

 the years 1820 and 1830, at Te Heuheu's place, Tokaanu, the 

 southernmost part of Taupo Lake. Te Heuheu and his pa 



* See Trans. N.Z. Inst., vol. xxv., p. 534. 



