Haast. — Researches in Sumner Moa Cave, 67 



excavated not only the four holes for fixing the corner piles into the agglo- 

 merate, but actually lifted the same in the space between them; against this, 

 however, it may be observed that if such, as we may presume, unnecessary 

 work was performed, the agglomerate bed ought not only to end abruptly 

 round the former dwelling, but that the removed material, having been thrown 

 outside, the thickness of the bed in question ought to be here much more con- 

 siderable. 



However, from the sections made during the progress of the excavations, 

 it does not appear that the agglomerate bed was generally thicker outside this 

 oblong square, or that it ended abruptly. On the contrary, the same was 

 found to thin out generally close to the intersecting lines, the ash and dirt bed 

 becoming gradually thicker. The same was the case in some of the other por- 

 tions of the cave, where the agglomerate was also occasionally missing, and I 

 can only regret that when that portion of the cave towards the entrance was 

 excavated, where a great thickness of the overlying shell beds had first to be 

 removed, my official work at the Museum would not allow me to go so often 

 to the ground as I should have wished. This question has, therefore, to remain 

 an open one. 



Having reached (Saturday, 19th October) the cross trench on the eastern 

 side of the cave, and thus examined the whole south-eastern portion, I began 

 to continue with the excavations on the south-western side towards the ter- 

 mination of the cave in that direction. 



Hitherto we had not been successful either in obtaining human bones, or 

 Maori objects of any value, which I hoped might have been placed in a cache 



e&ca\ 



r 



(and afterward Maori) encampments at the Rakaia. However, that evening 

 we came a few feet from the south-western wall upon disturbed ground, and 

 carefully taking off the material, the skeleton of a Maori was reached, who as 

 section No. 5 (PL II.) shows, had been buried a considerable time. 



The aborigines who had placed the body there, had dug through the shell- 

 bed for about 8 inches, then 2 inches through the dirt and ash bed belonging 

 to the older series, and 4 inches through the agglomeratic deposit. 



They had then excavated the marine sands for several feet, and had 

 placed the corpse in a sitting position in the grave thus formed, tied together 

 with flax, the face towards the wall of rock, covering it with part of the sands 

 thrown out, the rest being thrown with the shells excavated around the spot. 



However, it was clearly visible that the ground had afterwards been 

 levelled, as it were, under the feet of human occupants, and about six inches 

 of newly-formed shell-bed, being continuous and level with the more distant 



