2104 The Zoologist — April, 1870. 



London by Professor Owen. Dr. Haasl is of opinion that the various species of 

 Dinornis must have been extinct for many hundred years, inasmuch as the Maories, 

 the present inhabitants of New Zealand, have not even any traditions respectiug ihem. 

 Recently Dr. Haast has l)een fortunate enough to discover a large raoa-hunters' 

 encampment, with cookiug-places and Isitchen-middens, extendinfj over more than 

 forty acres, near the river Rakaia. In this he has made many excavations, which have 

 given great insight into the habits of the primitive race of people who exterminated 

 the Dinornis. Numerous rough stone implements were found, broken from boulders 

 in a peculiar manner, or made of flint and other silicious stones, and closely resembling 

 those found at Amiens and other places where pre-hisioric remains have been obtained. 

 The cooking places or ovens are built like those of the Maories, and covered with sill 

 Hud vegetable soil. The moa bones were found in considerable numbers, and must 

 have been obtained from several different species of Dinornis. The greater number 

 belonged to D. casuarinus, the next t) D. didifotniis and D. crassus. There were aUo 

 some bones of D. elepliautopus, and of Palapteryx ingens, but none of the very largest 

 species, D. giganteus and D. robuslus. The bones had all been broken so as to get 

 out the marrow, the tibiae being broken on both sides near the ends, and scooped out 

 apparently with flint flakes, as if the eatable matter had been thus extracted from 

 those parts of the bone difHcull to break. The long bones had been smashed in the 

 middle, and stones were found which had doubtless been used for this purpose. The 

 skulls had been scooped out below so as to get at the brain, and the larger bones of the 

 bodies of the birds were foimd in fragments. Along with these bones of the moa. Dr. 

 Haast found also numerous bones of the native dog, of seals, sea gulls, and the 

 tympanic bones of several species of whale, but no human remains: so that it would 

 appear ceilain ibat the ancient inhabitants who hunted the moa were not cannibals. 

 As no implement of warfare or chase were found except the flukes of flint and obsidian, 

 it is supposed the birds weie caught in pits or snares. There was a total absence of 

 ornaments of any kind, excepting two wing-bones of the albatross which were bored 

 through, and might have been used as ornaments.—' Field.' 



Sir George Grey un the Bale of the Extinction of the Moa. — .\t the meeting of 

 the Zoological Society on Thursday, a letter from Sir G. Grey, in reference to Dr. 

 Haast's communication respecting the date of the extinction of the moa in New 

 Zealand, was read by Dr. Sclater. Sir George combats Dr. Haast's conclusions as 

 stated in the ' Field ' of February 6. In the course of the communication Sir George 

 Grey says: — " I have often found moas' bones under similar circumstances, sometimes 

 covered by a greater depth of soil ; but I have regarded the ovens as of comparatively 

 recent construction. These ovens are Polynesian cooking places. The Australian and 

 several other savage races cook their food in quite a different way. With moa bones 

 I have several times found bones of the kakapo (Slrigops), a bird now extinct in the 

 districts where I found the ovens. 1 have seen many hundreds of old ovens indis- 

 tinguishable from those in which moa bones were found, and in some of these cases the 

 natives were able to tell me the circumstances under which war parties or travellers 

 had formed these very ovens many years since. I would observe that the native word 

 "moa"' is a Polynesian word, and the very word which new comers to the island of 

 New Zealand would be likely to have applied to the Dinornis if they had found it in 

 existence there. The natives all know the word " moa " as describing the extinct bird ; 

 and when I went to New Zealand twenty-five years ago the natives invariably spoke to 



