teen Transactions,— Miscellaneous. 
Two other views have been put forth, each of which has had its 
adherents and must, therefore, be noticed here : according to the first, it 
has been suggested that, had any Moas existed in what may be called 
‘Modern ”’ times, some of the earlier European navigators, as for instance, 
Captain Cook,* who, during his several visits to these islands, spent over 
350 days here, must certainly have heard of or recorded them ; according 
to the second, that, if any of them had died in the open plains, all traces of 
them would have disappeared in a space of time comparatively short, as the 
bones of even horses or of other large cattle are known not to resist ex- 
posure to the weather for more than 20 or 30 years ; the inference being, 
that all the remains which have been discovered, owe their preservation to 
the silt and mud in which they have been very generally found embedded. 
It was, besides this, averred by some that so ancient, indeed, was the period 
of the final disappearance of the Moa, that its life probably preceded more 
than one great geological change, such as that which created Cook Strait; 
while the occurrence of many species of Struthia as well of the Dinornis 
suggested, at least to these reasoners, the probability of a former vast 
Antarctic continent,+ connecting Australia, through New Zealand, with 
America and perhaps, even with Africa; the whole of this continent, with 
the exception of Madagascar, Australia, and New Zealand having been 
since submerged for countless ages. The smaller groups, more strictly 
known as Polynesia, were not, I believe, included in this grand conception, 
as bemg when not volcanic for the most part of coralline formation. But, 
apart from other considerations, it is clear that such a speculation requires 
an enormous amount of evidence to render it at all probable ; nor, indeed, 
am I aware that it has been in any way confirmed by competent geologists ; 
moreover, so far as the present enquiry goes, by simplifying, it may be, but, 
in a very doubtful manner, the problem to be discussed, it looks to me very 
much like cutting the knot, we ought rather to attempt untying. Of course, 
if there were any real evidence (such as we see in channels so narrow as 
that between England and France) that, within a tolerably recent period, 
New Zealand had formed part of a continent, connected with Madagascar 
and Australia on the one. side, and with India, vid the Malay Peninsula, 
ctc., on the other, we should have the chance cf solving many difficulties, 
which now beset the enquiry into the origin of many races, whose lan- 
guages, so far as they can be trusted, certainly shew considerable signs of 
affinity. Late researches have, however, shewn, conclusively, that the idea 
* Haast, Dr., Moas and Moa-hunters, “Trans. N. 4. Inst.,” Vol. IV., pea. 
} Admiral Dumont D’'Urville in the “ Voyage of the Astrolabe” has held this view. 
