Travers.—Notes on the Extinction of the Moa. 61 
and was only likely to become known, as regards the Moa, from 
direct observation), but he says (erroneously, however, as will appear 
from the extracts hereafter given from Mr. Stack’s own writings on the 
subject) that ‘this was the only trace Mr. Stack could discover in the 
sayings of the ancient inhabitants, relative to the existence and habits of 
those birds.’? He then proceeds to detail, at great length, the circumstances 
under which he alleges that Moa bones and other animal remains had been 
found in kitchen middens, in what he terms “a Moa-hunter’s encampment,” 
at the Rakaia in the Province of Canterbury, particularly noting the dis- 
covery, amongst these remains, “ of quantities of obsidian, identical in 
lithological character with that obtained near Tauranga.” 
Tauranga, as you are aware, is in the Province of Auckland, and I 
think I am justified in asserting that no obsidian has ever been found, i 
situ, in any part of the South Island, or even to the southward of the great 
voleanic system in the centre of the North Island. 
The fact thus mentioned is, as you will find in the sequel, of very great 
importance when taken in connection with the information recently given 
to me. 
But Dr. Haast, although he mentions the discovery in this encampment 
of stone implements and other articles of apparent Maori origin, dissociates 
them, at all events throughout the papers published in 1871, from those 
which he assigns to the ‘‘ Moa-hunters,” arguing, moreover, that it was not 
until long after the extinction of the Moa that the encampment in question 
was used by the present race. 
If this fact were really well established, it would be a very interesting 
one ; but a careful consideration of Dr. Haast’s own statements has entirely 
failed to satisfy me that he was justified in drawing the line of demarcation 
above referred to, or, indeed, in dissociating the Maori at all from the 
destruction of the Moa. 
With respect to the mode in which his supposed Moa-hunters killed their 
prey, he says :—* 
“ Amongst all the stone implements, there was not a single one from 
which we might draw an inference how the Moa-hunters killed their prey ; 
but, as the birds lived doubtless in droves, they were probably driven by 
men or dogs towards the apex of the triangle, either to be killed with 
heavy wooden implements or stone spear-heads fixed to staves, to he 
snared, or to be caught in flax nets. Another method of killing them, if 
we assume that the Moa-hunters were allied to the Australians, may have 
* «Prans, N. Z. Inst.,” Vol. IV., p. 86. 
