270 Transactions. — Zoology. 



Length... 



Circumference at middle 

 Breadth, distal ... 



„ middle 



* * # 



• * ■ 



■ • 



• - - - . 



•• ••• • • • 



Thickness, middle 

 Breadth, proximal 



Between D. crassus and D. elephantopus, however, no strict line of demar- 



Metatarsus. Tibia. 



8-25 18-5 



6-0 5-25 



4-9 30 



2-33 



1-2 



3-7 5-6 



Waitak 



cation can be drawn. It will be noticed in Table A that among the femora 

 that of D. crassus is by far the most abundant, while in the tibia? what I 

 have called D. crassus var. major takes the lead, and among the metatarsi 

 D. elephantopus occupies that position. This would naturally lead us to 

 suspect that these three bones belong to the same species, and fortunately I 

 am in a position to show that something like this is true. The Otago Museum 

 possesses a skeleton of a Moa found in a limestone cave at Doctor's Creek, 



, by Mr. James Stevenson. This skeleton is nearly complete, wanting 

 only the head, a few cervical and caudal vertebrae, and two small phalanges of 

 the outer right toe. The bones were lying in their proper position, the 

 sesamoid bones of the ankle joints being also in their places. No hind toe 

 nor scapulo-coracoid were found, although Mr. Stevenson looked carefully for 

 the former. There is therefore no possible doubt but that all these bones 

 belong to the same indvidual. The measurements of the leg-bones are 

 as follows : 



x Metatarsus. Tibia. " \ Femur. 



Length ... ... ... ... 9^ 2 M 11-83 



Circumference at middle 



Breadth, distal 



„ middle 

 Thickness, middle ... 

 Breadth, proximal ... 



• • 



• • » . . 



• • 



• t 



■ • 



• • 



• • . 



• • 



• • • 



6-0 5-6 6-83 



5-3 3-75 61 



2-3 



1-4 



4-15 6-3 5-1 



imur should be refer: 



D. crassus, and the tibia and metatarsus to B. crassus var. major of Table A. 

 The metatarsus, however, approaches more nearly to tbe dimensions assigned 



'MS 



former name that I feel inclim 



;nn 



divisions 



D. elephantopus on the one hand, and D. crassus var. major and D. crassus on 

 the other are, of course, quite arbitrary, and depend in the case of the femur 

 and tibia on the circumference of the middle of the shaft, and in the case of 

 the metatarsus on the breadth of the middle of the shaft. The divisions could 

 have been drawn equally well in other places as the gradations are very 



minute and regular. 



distinguish 



« clearly denned » sub-species, and even sexes of sub-species, mentioned by Dr. 

 Haast (Trans. N. Z. Inst., VI., p. *29), and shall look forward with interest 



