964 Transactions.—Zoology. 
In the collection of Moa remains in the Otago Museum there are five 
feet, and metatarsi of individual birds, in which the hind toe still remains. 
Of these two belong to D. ingens, one to D. casuarinus, and two to D. gravis. 
If to these we add D. robustus, the hind toe of which has been figured 
by Professor Owen,* we have four species in which the hind toe is known, 
and of these, three belong to Dr. von Haast's family, Dinornithida, one of the 
distinguishing characters of which is said to be the absence of a hind toe. 
Next with regard to the shape of the bill. Thereisin the Otago Museum 
a nearly complete skeleton of D. robustus, obtained singly at Highly Hill. 
In this specimen the bill is exceedingly broad, rounded at the tip and some- 
what depressed, exactly like that described by Professor Owen,t and Prc- 
fessor Owen has shown { that the bill of D. ingens was of the same shape ; 
whereas Dr. von Haast gives the diagnosis as “ beak narrow and pointed.” 
Nearly all the Moa bones found at Shag Point belonged to D. casuarinus 
or D. gravis, but a few to D. crassus. None of the skulls had pointed bills. 
In the Hamilton Swamp the commonest species were D. elephantopus and 
D. crassus, and here we found several skulls, all larger than that of D. crassus, 
with pointed bills, and answering to that described by Professor Owen $ as 
D. elephantopus.| I am therefore inclined to think that Dr. von 
Haast is wrong in ascribing to D. elephantopus a bill very obtuse 
and rounded at the tip. At any rate I must think so until Dr. 
von Haast publishes the reasons for his opinion. A single small skull 
with a very pointed bill was found in the Hamilton Swamp. This, 
from its size, I agree with Dr. von Haast in ascribing to D. -didiformis. 
In D. crassus the bill was obtuse and rounded, but more compressed than in 
D. robustus. This is proved by a skull and vertebral column from Shag 
Point, which agrees exactly with the skeleton from the Waitakiin the Otago 
Museum. I have already pointed out** that it is doubtful whether this skele- 
ton should be referred to D. crassus or D. elephantopus ; but since Professor 
Coughtrey identified the skull of D. elephantopus from the Hamilton Swamp, 
I am inclined to think that the Waitaki specimen must be D. crassus, and 
that it can be distinguished from D. elephantopus by the shape of the bill. 
The sternum in Dinornis is a very variable bone, and often unsymmetri- 
cal. Those in the Museum belonging to robustus, casuarinus, elephantopus, and 
crassus agree very well with Dr. von. Haast's remarks. The sterna of D. 
gravis, however, from Shag Point, are not longer than broad, but resemble 
* * Trans. Zool. Soc.,” Vol. IV 4p. 
t “ Trans. Zool. Soc.,” Vol. V., p, 844. 
1 Loc. cit., Vol. VIL, p. 142. 
§ “ Trans. Zool. Soc.," Vol. VII., p. 123. 
[| Determined for me by Professor Coughtrey. 
** eTrans, N.Z. Inst.," Vol, VIL, p. 276. 
