PROFESSOR OWEN ON THE GENUS DINORNIS. 185 



which have come under my observation. The subjects of figures 8, 9, 10, in Plate XXXI. 

 are copied from the illustrations of Mr. Dallas's excellent description of the debris of 

 feathers attached to the dried skin of the specimen of Binornis rohustus in the Museum 

 of the Yorkshire Philosophical Society^. Figures 7 and 11 are from Dr. Hector's 

 and Captain Hutton's interesting papers in vol. iv. of the ' Transactions of the New- 

 Zealand Institute,' (vol. iv. p. 114, pi. v., and p. 166, pi. ix.). 



With the loose character of the plumage of the Kivi the feathers of the Moa differ 

 in having, as a rule, an 'after-shaft ' (fig. 11, 5) of half the length or more of the main 

 feather. 



As to the geological relations of the bones of the Moas, reviewing the whole evidence, 

 I concur with the learned Professor Igino Cocchi ^ in referring Binornis crassus, B. ele- 

 phantopus, B. giganteus (var. rohustus), and B. ingens to the " Periodo attuale," which 

 is equivalent to the ' neolithic ' or ' recent period ' of ' Ethno-archseology.' At the same 

 time I think that certain remains from the fluviatile deposits in the North Island, 

 representing the species Binornis giganfeus, B. ingeiis, B. struthioides, and B. didi- 

 formis, of a heavier and less recent character than the bones from the South Island, 

 have come from birds which lived in ' postpliocene,' or quaternary, or even earlier 

 times. But all the species seem to have existed and abounded when the present race 

 of Maories set foot on New Zealand, and the final extirpation to have been of com- 

 paratively recent date. 



DESCRIPTION OF THE PLATES. 

 PLATE XXXI. 



Fig. 1. Base of the skull of Binornis crassus. 



Fig. 2. Vertical longitudinal section of the sacrum of Binornis maximus, | nat. size. 



Fig. 3. End view of metatarsal sesamoid of the same, i nat. size. 



Fig. 4. Inner side \-iew of ditto, ditto. 



Fig. 5. Outer side view of ditto, ditto. 



Fig. 6. Tibial facet of ditto, ditto. 



Fig. 7. Portion of skin of neck and of feathers of Binornis ingens (after Hector). 



Fig. 8. Base of a feather, with main and accessory shafts, of the same (after Dallas). 



Fig. 9. Base of feather, with main and accessory shafts, of Binornis rohustus, nat. size 



(after Dallas). 

 Fig. 10. Part of a barb, with the barbules of the same, magn. 15 diameters (after 



Dallas). 

 Fig. 11. A feather of a species oi Binornis (after Hutton). 



(The figures are of the natural size when not otherwise noted.) 



' Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, March 14, 186.5, p. 266. 



' ' Cataloghi della collezione centrale Italiana di Palaeontologia,' 8vo, Pirenze, 1 872, p. 63. 



