98 Transactions. 



The chief readily gave me the bone for a little tobacco, and I afterwards 

 sent it to Professor Owen by Sir Everard Home ; this took place in the 

 beginning of 1839, and some months later another bone of the Tarepo was 

 procured by a sailor in the same part, which was given to Mr. Rule, who 

 forwarded it to Professor Owen some time before mine reached him, but I 

 think I may justly claim to have been the first discoverer of the Moa. 



On our reaching Poverty Bay (Turanga) I learnt that they were constantly 

 finding these huge birds' bones. Mr. Williams soon after commenced a 

 missionary station there, and a year or two later obtained a large number of 

 these bones quite perfect. Some of them were forwarded to Dr. Buckland, 

 and others to me, but one of those I received was a human bone. 



Early in 1843 I removed from the Bay of Islands to Wanganui, and my 

 first journey was along the coast of Waimate. As we were resting on the 

 shore near the Waingongoro Stream I noticed the fragment of a bone which 

 reminded me of the one I found at Waiapu. I took it up and asked my 

 natives what it was? They replied, " A Moa's bone, what else? look around 

 and you will see plenty of them." I jumped up, and, to my amazement, I 

 found the sandy plain covered with a number of little mounds, entirely com- 

 posed of Moa bones ; it appeared to me to be a regular necropolis of the race. 



I found the natives of the West Coast were totally ignorant of the name 

 given on the other side of the island, the Tarepo. It was here I first heard 

 of the word " Moa." I was struck with wonder at the sight, but lost no time 

 in selecting some of the most perfect of the bones, and then considered what 

 was to be done with them and where to bestow them. I had a box in which 

 my supplies for the journey were carried, this I emptied and filled with the 

 bones instead, to the amazement of my followers, who exclaimed, " What is 

 he doing 1 What can he possibly want with those old Moa bones 1 " One 

 suggested hei rongoapea (to make into medicine perhaps) ; to this the others 

 consented, saying, koia pea (most likely). 



This visit to the Waingongoro was the opening up of one of the most 

 interesting fields of research for the naturalist. My enquiries after the Moa, 

 and carrying off some of its bones, caused much talk among the natives. I 

 was most anxious to obtain a skull of the bird. I was told there was a great 

 one in a swamp some miles inland. I promised a large reward for it, and 

 though they said I should have it they did not keep their word. 



In reply to my questions about its size they told me it was quite as large 

 as that of a horse, a sure proof that the bird had never been seen by any of 

 those I spoke to. They, however, told me that these huge birds were 

 formerly very abundant before the Europeans came, but they gradually 

 diminished and finally disappeared. Their nests were made of the refuse of 

 fern-root on which they fed, and they used to conceal themselves in the 



