Otago Institute. 547 



Dr. Cole said that lie would suggest one tlieory, but perhaps it would not 

 hold water. He could not ascertain the fact why these birds should congregate 

 round a spring, without it was a natural instinct that they should seek water 

 when they felt they were about to die. It was, perhaps, rather an imbecile 

 theory, but it occurred to his mind at the moment. 



Mr. J. S. Webb thought most of the members would agree with him that 

 Mr. Booth's paper was more interesting than a moa skeleton even. The 

 remarks of Mr. Booth with regard to the presence of snow and frost, and the 

 birds' preference to spring water, clearly showed that there was something in 

 his arguments. The severe and sudden storms which those present^ had 

 witnessed that day, would drive birds to that particular spot mentioned to get 

 free from cold. That argument was most ingenious. 



The chairman said that he must add his quota of praise to the paper, and 

 expressed his delight upon reading it. Though he did not agree with Mr. 

 Booth's conclusions, he was much pleased at the paper having been brought 

 before the Institute. He agreed with Mantell, that the time had not yet 

 arrived to say when the moa became extinct. Had Mr. Booth been better 

 acquainted with what had been done previously, he would have saved himself 

 a deal of trouble. A large portion of his paper went to prove that the moa 

 lived a great many centuries ago. No one doubted that. The real question 

 was — had it come down to modern times ? They had a very important fact, 

 that the Maoris — all those who were competent to give an opinion — said they 

 had no tradition whatever on the subject. (Voices : No, no.) He said it on 

 the authority of Mantell, Sir George Grey, and others. The word moa seemed 

 to show that the Maoris had known something of the bird. But that word 

 moa was used in a great many dififerent senses. Therefore, that word being 

 in the language w^as no proof that the Maoris knew anything of the moa. 

 They said it used to be hunted, but the fact he wished to point out was that 

 the Maoris had no knowledge of the moa. So far as his opinion went, he 

 inclined to the modern theory. There was this in its character, that the moa 

 bones had been found with human bones, and that the former appeared to 

 have been used as food. They had in the museum a leg with some of the 

 flesh, sinews, and so on. He believed they would not get half-a-dozen of the 

 old residents of Otago who thought that the moa had not existed recently. 

 Large numbers of bones had been found on the surface of the ground, in grassy 

 country, and on the plains. Mr. Booth would have to prove that the country 

 had been much warmer, that the place referred to was a spring, and that the 

 moa birds were unable to rear their offspring. If any of these theories were 

 not proved, the arguments in their favour would tumble to the ground. Mr. 

 Booth stated that the bones were all trampled firmly in and not broken. How 

 would they, then, account for the bones having been entire 1 The time had nob 



