174 Transactions. — Zoology. 



over, with the exception of a few acres, which are in a shifting state. Before 

 reaching the main mass, we came upon a few moa bones of large size lying 

 in the neighbourhood of some old Maori ovens. When we came upon the 

 ground disturbed by the wind we soon found a number of distinct groups 

 of gizzard stones. It was impossible to mistake them. In several cases 

 they lay with a few fragments of the heavier bones. In all cases they were 

 in distinct groups ; even where they had become scattered each group only 

 covered a few square yards of ground, and in that space lay thickly strewn. 

 Between the groups scarcely any were seen. In several instances they lay 

 in close masses. Mr. Murdoch showed me one piece of ground which had 

 recently become covered with blown sand, where he had not long before 

 seen several groups lying in close clusters, such as I shall describe here- 

 after. 



The peculiar feature of the stones was that they were almost all opaque 

 white quartz pebbles. The few in the three sets I now exhibit from 

 this spot which are not white quartz have white veins in them. In one 

 place I found a small group of small pebbles of different colour, more like 

 the few brown water-worn pebbles which may be picked up hereabouts. 

 These lay with a set of bones much smaller than the very large bones I 

 found with most of the clusters of pebbles. 



I did not gather these brown pebbles, as I thought it uncertain whether 

 they were gizzard stones or not, though it is possible that the species to 

 which the smaller bones belonged was not so careful in selecting white 

 stones. A glance at the pebbles lying about in the surrounding country 

 showed that the quartz-pebbles were not collected here. In only one 

 instance did I find the moa bones burnt, and this may have been acci- 

 dental. Mr. Murdoch and I collected three sets of pebbles, and these I can 

 safely pronounce complete, or nearly so. It is beyond question, too, that 

 each set belongs to a distinct bird. No. 1 weighs 3 lbs. 9 ozs. ; No. 2 weighs 

 4 lbs. ; while No. 3 weighs no less than 5 lbs. 7 ozs. This giant set contains 

 individual stones weighing over 2 ozs. ; indeed, I have picked out 8 stones 

 weighing almost exactly 1 lb. 



Moa bones do not seem to be very plentiful in the Mackenzie Country, 

 and when found seem to be old and in bad preservation. I should say 

 from such observations as I made, that the moa had become scarce or 

 extinct on these plains while it still flourished in many other places I have 

 examined. The bones at this place were very friable, and generally broke 

 when picked up. I searched in vain for foot-prints in places where the 

 sand was blown away, though I was tempted to search by finding foot- 

 prints of a horse standing above the general level of the surface, the weight 

 of the animal having packed the fine binding soil and thus increased its 



