THE ZooLoGist—NovEMBER, 1876. 5153 
evidence to the contrary, adduced by those gentlemen and others, 
sums up the discussicn by stating the “conclusions” already 
extracted. 
I think it necessary, however, before proceeding further, to call 
especial attention to the entire absence from these papers of any 
evidence relevant to the proof of the first, fourth and fifth “ con- 
clusions.” The first of these Dr. Haast probably adopted in order 
to support his theory that New Zealand was entirely submerged up 
to the close of the Tertiary period, and, on its re-emergence, was 
subjected, during Pleistocene times, to an universal glaciation 
similar to that of Greenland and the Antarctic lands. But whence 
he derives the Dinornide and his wild dog is nowhere even sug- 
gested, unless, indeed, the language in which the first “ conclusion” 
is couched admits of the assumption that he believes in special 
creation; whilst the fourth and fifth involve additional difficulties 
which are too palpable to need specifying. It would be well if 
Dr. Haast would supplement his papers on this part of the subject, 
’ by giving the evidence or reasoning, as the case may be, which led 
him to the conclusions in question. 
Dr. Haast’s statements as to the absence of Maori traditions 
relative to the moa were in some degree supported by the Rev. 
Mr. Stack, in a paper read before the Philosophical Institute of 
Canterbury, on the 5th of April, 1871 (Trans. N. Z. Inst., vol. iv., 
p- 107), in which the reverend gentleman, after referring to the 
invasion of the Middle Island by the Ngaitahu, a section of the 
Ngatikahungunu tribe, some two hundred to two hundred and fifty 
years ago, says :— 
“ Ngaitahu, having incorporated the remnants of the two preceding tribes, 
the traditions of these tribes would become the property of Ngaitahu, and 
be handed down with the rest of their tribal lore to posterity. Now, while 
these traditions are full and distinct in everything else to which they relate, 
and extend as far back as to events that occurred before the migration from 
Hawaiki, they only contain very vague and meagre references to the moa. 
It is inconceivable that an observant and intelligent people like the Maoris 
should be without traditions of such exciting sport as moa-hunting, had 
they ever engaged in it. And these traditions, did they exist, would not 
be confined to particular localities, but would be met with in every part of 
these islands in which the remains of the Dinornis are found. I have 
occasionally heard in the North Island stories of moa-hunts, but they were 
regarded by all, but perhaps those who related them, as pure fabrications. 
