124 M. de Quatrefages on 



XVIII. — Moas and Moa-hunters. By A. de QuatreFxVGES *. 



When I published, in the ' Journal des Savants,' a first 

 article upon New Zealand and its inhabitantsf we had re- 

 ceived in Europe only the first three volumes of the ' Trans- 

 actions ' in which are brought together the works of the 

 learned societies of New Zealand. At that time I had to 

 express my regret that this collection contained only a single 

 very short note relating to the large short-winged birds desig- 

 nated by the common name of Moas J. This deficiency has 

 since been filled up. The succeeding volumes have brought 

 us numerous memoirs, in which the various questions raised 

 by the history of these birds are treated of. My present 

 object is to give a general summary of these researches, which 

 are very interesting in many respects, avoiding too technical 

 details, for which I can only refer the reader to the writings of 

 MM. Haast, llochstetter, &c., and especially to those of Sir 

 Richard Owen, which have been classical since their appear- 

 ance. 



We must first of all refer to the most striking feature of the 

 New-Zealand fauna. 



The travellers who first landed upon this distant country § 

 were surprised at finding there of Mammalia only a domestic 

 dog and a rat, Avhicli the natives liunted as game. Since then 

 two bats of different genera have been discovered ||. The 

 researches of geologists have extended to pala^ontological times 

 the results furnished by the study of the living animals, and 

 have even rendered them still more strongly marked. No 

 fossil mammal has yet been discovered through the whole 



* Translated by W. S. Dallas, F.L.S., from the ' Aunales des Sciences 

 Naturelles,' ser. G, tome xvi. 



t In January 1873. The present memoir has also appeared in the 

 same journal (in the numbers for June and July 1883). 



} " Address on the Moa," by the Hon. W. B. Mantell (Trans, and 

 Proc. of the New Zealand Institute, vol. i. p. 18). Mr. Mantell alone has 

 occupied himself with the general history of the Moas. But it is only 

 just to add that in the same Tohinie Dr. Haast gave a memoir, entirely 

 technical in its nature, in which he published the results of measurements 

 made upon very numerous bones {ibid. p. 80). 



§ New Zealand was discovered by Tasmau on the 13th December, 1G42. 

 It was forgotten and in a manner lost for more than a century, and was 

 rediscovered by Cook on the 6th October, 1769. 



II Scotiiphilus tuherculatus (Gray), identical \\ith an Australitm species, 

 and Mystdcina tuhercidata , whicli has hitherto been found only in Ntw 

 Zealand. (Note communicated by M. Alphonse Edwards.) 



