Oct. 26, 1876] 



NATURE 



579 



amongst them, where they were often close together, and, like 

 those in the cavern, appear to have been ultimately filled more 

 or less with the refuse of feasts. A clear line of demarcation 

 was found here also between the deposits of the Moa-hunters 

 and those of the shell-fish feeders, and, except in one instance, 

 where a few pieces of the fresh-water mussel were met with, no 

 shells occurred in the older series of deposits. Judging from the 

 greater number and volume of the kitchen middens found in the 

 small area examined, there can be no doubt that the real camping 

 ground of the Moa-hunters was on the plain, and that they used 

 the cavern occasionally only for shelter or for their meals, and 

 very rarely for cooking. It seems most in accordance with the 

 facts, also, to suppose that the shell-fish eaters lighted fires in the 

 cavern for warmth and light, and that they probably slept there, 

 but that, like their predecessors, they cooked their food outside. 



Dr. Haast gives a tabular list of the objects collected in the 

 Moa-hunters' middens amongst the dunes, but it is to a very 

 large extent a repetition of the contemporary cavern list. 



Dr. Haast is of opinion that the time represented by the 

 carem deposits was very great, and, in support of his view, 

 directs attention to the following facts and considerations : — 



1. That the mere volume of the shell-beds alone must have a 

 great chronological value, on any hypothesis. 



2. That this value is greatly enhanced by the fact of the cavern 

 being but occasionally occupied. 



3. That even the occasional visits were probably suspended 

 daring a considerable interval after the interment of the Maori. 



4. That on the inner or westerly portion of the adjacent 

 plain there is a remarkable number of shell heaps, belonging to 

 the era of the upper series of deposits, which the natives attri- 

 bute generally to the Waitaha, the first immigrants, who pre- 

 ceded the Ngatimamoe, who in their turn preceded the Ngati- 

 kuri, the present inhabitants. 



5. That though the cannibalism found in New Zealand when 

 first discovered by Europeans had been practised for at least 

 several centuries, there is an almost entire absence of human 

 bones even in the shell beds, whilst the three solitary specimens 

 of this kind which were met with were so entire and perfect as 

 to negative the idea that the men of even that comparatively 

 modern. period were cannibals; and that the same view is borne 

 out by a study of the Moa beds. 



6. That *s far back as the traditions of the Maoris go, allusion 

 is made in their songs to the Weka {Ocydromus australis) ; yet 

 amongst the hundreds of bones belonging to small birds, not a 

 vestige of the Weka was met with in any of the deposits. 



7. That beyond the vast period covered by the shell beds was 

 that interval represented only by the uniform sharp line of 

 demarcation between the two sets of deposits, by the interme- 

 diate layer of drift sand, by the disappearance of at least eight 

 species of Moas, and by the strongly marked change in the food 

 of the natives, 



8. That since the extinction of the Dinornis and its contem- 

 poraries there has been a period sufficiently considerable for the 

 conversion of an area then occupied with large lagoon-like lakes 

 into that part of the Canterbury P,ain which is now near the 

 sea, and for the formation of sand dunes of great width upon it. 



9. That further back still was the period of the Moa-hunters, 

 to whose deposits, due allowance being made for their somewhat 

 smaller volume, all the considerations applied to the beds above 

 them may be repeated with equal force. 



There seems reason to believe that the civilisation of the Moa- 

 hunters was in many respects not inferior to that possessed by the 

 Maoris when first visited by Europeans. 



It is obvious that if the entire absence of Moa remains in 

 the shell-beds of the cavern and the adjacent dunes is to be 

 regarded as conclusive on the point, there can be no reason for 

 hesitating to accept the opinion that an enormous amount of 

 time must have elapsed since the extinction of the gigantic birdi 

 in at least that portion of the island. 



In more recent papers. Dr. Haast expresses the belief that 

 subsequent researches, in other parts of New Zealand, tend to 

 confirm his conclusions. 



THE GERMAN EXPEDITION TO SIBERIA ^ 



THE travellers left Saissan on May 31, and arrived in Maiterek 

 on June 4, in the company of his excellency the governor- 

 general of West Siberia, General Pottaratzki, whom they met 



I Abstract of the third and fourth letters dated from Maiterek, June 5, 

 and* a valley in the Tau Teke Mountains, in the Chinese Altai, June it, 

 respectively. Continued from p. 515. 



two nights previous to their arrival. Three tarantassas drawn by 

 artillery horses conveyed them from Saissan on to the shores of 

 the black Irtisch. Their way led again through the steppe mostly 

 covered with Dschi, a kind of short, thick grass, with here and 

 there patches of white alkaline soil ; but after some time their eyes 

 were refreshed by the appearance of a few trees, their number 

 increased until the country became wooded, and therefore they 

 hoped soon to reach the river. In the evening they saw before 

 them the banks of the stream, swelled by the recent rain into a 

 majestic river, its waters of a yellowish brown colour. For 200 

 versts into China the stream is navigable for steamers, but up to 

 this time it is not used as a means of communication. Beautiful 

 trees bordered the river, and it was a pleasant change for the 

 travellers, who had seen no trees since the Ala Tau, to find mag- 

 nificent poplars, asps, and many other trees and bushes. Though 

 the steppe is grand yet it becomes tedious after a while. The 

 travellers continued their journey in a lotka (a sort of boat) be- 

 longing to a rich Kirghiz, who is one of the fishers of the Saissan 

 Nor (Saissan Lake). The lotka was propelled by two enormous 

 oars worked in turn by eight Kirghiz or eight Cossacks. The 

 journey down the Irtisch was rendered delightful by the beautiful 

 vegetation near its banks, and the abundance of birds made it a 

 perfect eldorado for the naturalist. They were tempted to stay 

 here, but "heida" (Kirghisian for "on") was the call, which 

 they had to obey. Gradually the strength and width of the river 

 decline as it gets narrowed in by dense masses of reeds. In the 

 evening they reached the settlements of some fishermen, resem- 

 bling those seen in Norway — here as there frames for drying the 

 fish, here as there the same disagreeable smell, so attractive for the 

 black Milans, of which they shot a specimen of the Indian 

 variety. A quantity of fish was caught, amongst them splendid 

 specimens of a kind of Coregonus, carp, barbel, and sturgeon, 

 the roe of which is prepared as caviare. Towards evening they 

 landed amidst dense reeds. 



Early on June 2 an excursion to the neighbouring lake was 

 made. On the banks were a good many persons fishing, and 

 numbers of birds — amongst them the East Indian kind of the 

 bald eagle {Haliatus leticoryphus), sitting in pairs on the 

 trunks of dead trees — were animating the shores of the river 

 and the reeds. About half-past seven — sunset — they landed ; 

 Kirghiz with camels and horses were awaiting them, and they 

 proceeded on their journey over the most desolate steppe 

 imaginable towards the north. This steppe was very stony 

 and sparsely covered with vegetation ; only at the outskirts 

 the crippled brushwood of the Saik-Saul, of a myrtle-like ap- 

 pearance, was to be found ; further on nothing but bare gravel ; 

 eye-witnesses told the travellers that the appearance of this 

 steppe was quite analogous to that of the desert of Gobi, For 

 seven hours' march there was no water, although in spring 

 this steppe is quite impracticable as the water then flowing 

 down the mountains forms ponds and swamps in the loamy 

 parts. Often they passed the dry beds of such ponds, looking 

 like mosaic by reason of the frequent and regular cracks in 

 the dry mud. Here the spermophilus was met with for the 

 first time, and later on three kulans, the wild solipede of these 

 parts of Asia (more horse than ass), accompanied by a young 

 one. Never were the mirages seen more beautiful than on this 

 steppe, though occurring every day, here were splendid blue 

 lakes with trees on the shores so distinctly that they could 

 fancy them to be real. Several other times Saiga antelopes 

 were seen and kulans, once seven at a time, but none were 

 obtained. At last they came to a depression and found a bad 

 but welcome spring ; they rested here for a few hoars. On 

 proceeding they had soon to pass through a hiily country 

 covered with slate. This part was interesting for the geolo- 

 gist : granite followed immediately upon slate, then slate and 

 granite, after this quartz, white and grey, and with this a 

 coarse-grained sandstone. On June 4 they reached the out- 

 lyers of the Altai ; here they saw a numerous fauna and man> 

 settlements of the Kirghiz with their cattle. The outlyers con- 

 sist of granite, crystallised slate and a homblend porphyry, 

 they are fantastically shaped but quite bare, yet not without 

 some picturesque beauty. The zigzag road led up hill. At last 

 they saw in the distance a lovely valley with green trees, and 

 with the joyous cry of "Maiterek" the Kirghisian guide 

 galloped downward, followed as fast as possible by the others, 

 to a yurt camp, situated in a wood of aspen trees near a 

 murmuring rivulet. This was the place where the governor- 

 general was expected, and at last, accompanied by many 

 Kirghiz, his excellency the governor arrived with a large escort, 

 including ladies. A friendly welcome was exchanged, and 



