HuTTON. — 0)1 the Moas of the North Island. 643 



apteryx, and Palapteryx—a,nd gave M. casuarimis, E. gravis, 

 and P. elephantopus as their types. Palapteryx cannot be 

 allowed in Haast's sense, for it had already been used 

 differently, but the other two should, in my opinion, be 

 retained. Anomalopteryx must also be changed, as it is 

 preoccupied in insects, and, consequently, I propose to substi- 

 tute Anomalornis for it. 



Formerly it was thought that the genera Pachyornis and 

 Euryaptcryx were confined to the South Island, while several 

 species of Dinornis, Meiouornis, and Anomalornis were common 

 to both islands. But it now appears that most of the genera 

 occur in both islands, while nearly all the species of each 

 island are distinct. There is as yet no proof that Meionornis 

 lived in the North Island, and no skull or sternum of Pachy- 

 ornis or of Megalapteryx have been found in the North and none 

 of Cela in the South Island. Also, the three species Megal- 

 apteryx temiipcs, Cela curta, and Pachyornis pygmceus, are 

 only provisionally considered as belonging to both islands, 

 the first and third being very imperfectly known, and the 

 evidence for the occurence of G. curta in the South Island 

 resting solely on a single metatarsus in the British Museum, 

 said to come from near Oamaru. 



The general conclusion to be drawn from this is that the 

 two islands of New Zealand were separated from each other 

 after the development of most of the genera, but before the 

 development of the known species,* and that they have not 

 since been united. It also follows that the deposits of moa- 

 bones at Te Ante, Glenmark, Kapua, Enfield, Waikouaiti, 

 Hamilton's, &c., are of a later date than the separation of the 

 islands. 



Dinornis giganteus. 



Dinornis giganteus, Owen, Trans. Zool. Soc, iii., p. 244 

 (1844). Dinornis novcz-zealandice, ?, Lydekker, Cat. 

 Fossil Birds m B.M., p. 224. Dinornis giganteus and ex- 

 celsus, Hutton, Trans. N.Z. Inst., xxiv., pp. 110 and 112. 



Figures. — Metatarsus, Trans. Z.S., iii. (and Ext. Birds of 

 N.Z.), pi. 27, fig. 1; tibia. I.e., iii., pi. 45 (Ext. Birds, pi. 37), 

 fig. 1 ; femur. I.e., iii., pi. 44 (Ext. Birds, p. 36). 



This species appears to have been rare, as it is known at 

 present by a few leg-bones only. There is no femur nor 

 complete tibia in the Canterbury Museum. The type is a 

 metatarsus 468mm. in length. The tibia described by Owen 

 has a length of 887mm., and a distal width of 101mm. The 

 femur, which was found with the tibia, has a length of 

 406mm. A metatarsus and a tibia were found together near 



* Except, of course, Anomalornis antiquus. 



