Booth. — Description of the Moa Swamp at Hamilton. 137 



show for six weeks, whilst the ice on the lagoons was 5 inches thick. Fancy a 

 Moa bird struggling for existence in such a time, foot-frozen and nothing to 

 eat, and you must see that even a spring would be a haven to it. 



Well may their bones be found about the country in clusters, where, for 

 warmth, they have crowded together, and either been frozen, smothered, or 

 starved, or, perhaps all three when overtaken by such storms. 



The bones of thousands of sheep and wild pigs are found about the country 

 deposited in like manner through the same cause. 



Dr. Hector* mentions one fact, however, which is strong presumptive 

 evidence in favour of my theory. He says, "The greatest number of Moa 

 bones w^ere found where rivers debouch on the plains." The same feature 

 marks the creeks from the mountain slopes. This strengthens my views as to 

 tbe Moa flourishing most at a very remote period, a period when nearly all 

 these plains in the country were lakes. 



The bones, being brought down by freshets, where the creeks debouched in 

 the lakes would become embedded, and thus age after age continue to 

 accumulate. But the doctor infers that these places Avere the camping 

 grounds of the Moa-hunters, and that they caused the bones to be deposited 

 there. 



At Lake Wakatipu the doctor takes another view, and thinks the heaps 

 of bones found there by him were caused by the " destroying element " fire. 

 With all due deference to the learned gentleman's opinion, I cannot subscribe 

 to his views, inasmuch as the bones being in heaps, and close under a pre- 

 cipitous ledge of rocks, it would be the very place that the Moas would have 

 sought to shelter them from a cold snow storm, but notwithstanding they 

 perished in clusters. This occurring periodically, perhaps for many years, 

 would rationally account for the many distinct skeleton heaps found by the 

 doctor in that place. 



As to whether there are more bone pits of the same description, I say yes; 

 they will be found in all parts of the country where living springs occur in 

 places where the Moa made its haunts. But, as some springs may have 

 spread over more ground and formed boggy places, just in proportion will the 

 bones be more scattered, and they will not be found (with the exception 

 perhaps of a few isolated skeletons) far from the fountain head, for the reason 

 that the water would not go far from the fountain head before cooling and 

 freezing, when there would be no inducement for the birds to go in. Other 

 places where they will be found very plentiful, though more scattered, will be 

 about spring creeks, such as Puketoitoi. The bones will be scattered and 

 waterworn on account of freshets disturbing them, and perhaps, as at Puke- 



* See Dr. Hector's paper on this subject, read at the Otago Institute, September, 

 1871.— Trans. N.Z. Inst., Vol. IV., p. 115. 



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