104 Transactions. 



that each visit to the cave assists in choking up the lower part of the cave 

 with this impalpable dust, which will yet have to be carefully removed and 

 examined. Groping in this dust wdth my hands I found several bones and 

 rolls of what I imagined to be the inner bark of a tree. I put a small piece 

 of this in my pocket for examination, and on coming to daylight I was 

 surprised to find that what I took for bark was reddish-brown Moa skin. 



Observing a lateral passage, through which the wind was blowing freely, 

 my son followed it in the hopes of finding an exit in the face of the gully. 

 This horizontal passage led into the solid rock, and at right angles to the 

 cave. My son was absent so long that I ceased to hear his voice. On his 

 return he reported to me that he saw no bones, the floor of the passage being 

 hard rock. 



From the junction of this passage the cave descended at a very steep 

 gradient, and at one place a wedge-shaped narrow rock compelled us to creep 

 underneath, which was not difficult, as the floor was well covered with the 

 fine dust which followed us as we advanced, filling up all interstices, and no 

 doubt hiding many interesting objects from our view. 



Soon afterwards we found ourselves at the bottom of the cave, and here I 

 much regretted that I was not provided with a few inches of magnesium wire, 

 as not only sound but light was absorbed in this den, so that I could hardly 

 see a yard from the lamp. 



My son, who was fossicking about with a piece of totara which he picked 

 up in the cave, suddenly exclaimed, " I have found a nest," and, true enough, 

 from under a ledge he drew out grass and the remains of the eggs and birds, 

 which are at present in the Museum on exhibition. 



I remarked several pieces of totara in the cave, which would lead one to 

 suppose that the totara tree grew on the platform, before the original mouth of 

 the cave was closed by the rock which forms the roof of the present landing- 

 place. 



The neck of the Moa was found in that part of the cave above the junction 

 with the lateral passage, and as there was always a current of dry air there, 

 it may account for the neck being so well preserved. 



On leaving the cave we proceeded to search the gully face of the rock for 

 the ventilator. We were not long in finding a weather-worn funnel-shaped 

 cave ; the back orifice of this funnel was six inches in diameter j there was a 

 strong in-draught through this aperture, which carried grass and light objects 

 into the cave. We found a sound stick of totara in this cave, which is at 

 least forty feet below the level of the platform. Above the ventilator, and on 

 an inaccessible ledge of the rock, we saw a large piece of totara which had 

 been left there since the parent tree had crashed in its fall against the face of 

 the rock. With some difficulty we dislodged it by throwing large stones on it 



