7 6 Transactions. — Miscellaneo us. 



In the first instance we find that the Moa-hunters had numerous cooking 

 places amongst these dunes, situated often closely together, which after use 

 became filled up to some extent by the refuse of their feasts, whilst very often 

 a larger heap of broken bones, egg-shells, etc., had been thrown a few feet from 

 the oven, an observation made also at the Rakaia. 



The following sections from that locality will, better than words can do, 

 convey a clear insight into their principal features. 



Section 7 (PI. II.) taken about 4 chains from the enti'ance of the cave, 

 and 1 chain north of the Sumner road, proves clearly that there exists a clear 

 line of demarcation between the Moa-hunters' and shell-fish eaters' deposits. 



After examining a bed on the surface, which contained the same species of 

 shells as we obtained from the upper deposits of the cave, I had the sands below 

 them excavated for about 2 feet, when we came upon the remains of a cooking 

 oven, big boulders, charcoal, and near and above it a distinct layer of kitchen 

 middens, which consisted of Moa-bones, the larger ones all broken, and some 

 of them calcined ; there were also some of smaller birds, of which those of the 

 spotted shag (Graculus punctatus) were the most numerous; the crested 

 penguin, the large kiwi, and the grey duck being also represented. 



Besides them, bones of the dog, which appears to have been also a 

 favourite dish of the Moa-hunter, a tymj)anic bone of a ziphoid whale and 

 some seal bones were obtained. 



Section 8 (PL II.), on the other hand, shows convincingly how in many in- 

 stances the intermixture of the two series of kitchen middens has taken place. 

 It is evident that in that locality, without doubt by rain and wind, a portion of 

 the dunes upon which the refuse heap of the Moa-hunters had been deposited, 

 had become partly destroyed, and that the same spot had afterwards been used 

 as a camping ground by the shell-fish eaters, their kitchen middens having been 

 thrown over the side into a hollow, thus covering as it were unconformably 

 the former deposits of human occupancy. 



In none of the clearly defined refuse deposits of the Moa-hunters were any 

 marine shells found, but in one locality a few pieces of our fresh-water mussel 

 (Unio aucTclandicus) were discovered, probably used for domestic purposes, 

 but, as before observed, in many instances the line between both series could 

 not be drawn, and it appeared clear that the sands having been blown away, 

 the kitchen middens of the older and newer occupants became not only inter- 

 mixed, but even that the same boulders which were collected for their ovens 

 by the Moa-hunters might have been used by the shell-fish eating population 

 also. 



Owing to the great extent of the area, it was utterly impossible to open up 

 all the ovens occurring there, as this would have been beyond the means at 



J 



