Wellington PhilosopJiical Societij. 541 



As a patent instance of the necessity for, and advantage of, careful observation, I 

 may call your attention to the controversy which, for some years past, was carried on 

 between writers in this colony as to the moa. Dr. von Haast, in a considerable number 

 of papers, and iip to the very last, has contended that these birds were exterminated long 

 before the occupation of New Zealand by the present native race, assigning their destruc- 

 tion, indeed, to what he terms — in contradistinction, I presume, even to their immediate 

 predecessors in occupation — " a race of autochthones." Dr. von Haast has been sup- 

 ported in his contention by other writers of minor note, who, hov/ever, appear to have 

 had very little opportunities of obtaining correct information, but who — like the pro- 

 verbial far-off cow, which is always supposed to have long horns — might, in the mind of 

 persons at a distance, have been supposed to possess special means of knowledge. 



On the other hand, Dr. Hector and other writers whose opportunities of observation 

 and of obtaining correct information were very large, always contended that the extinc- 

 tion of these great birds was a comparatively recent matter. It is fortunate that 

 evidence of a very conclusive character has been obtained, which has enabled the highest 

 authorities of the day to pronounce judgment upon the matter, which has been done 

 emphatically against Dr. von Haast's contention. This judgment is to be found in 

 Professor Owen's last paper on the Dinornicl<B, in which he uses the following language : 

 " As to the geological relations of the bones of the moas, reviewing the whole evidence, I 

 concur with the learned Professor Igino Cocchi in referring Blnornis crassus, D. eleplian- 

 topus, D. giganteus (var. robiistus), and D. ingens to the ' Periodo attuale,' which is 

 equivalent to the 'neolithic' or 'recent period' of ' Ethno-archasology.' At the same 

 time I think that certain remains from the fluviatile deposits in the North Island, 

 representing the species Dinornis giganteus, D. ingens, D. struthioides, and D. dicUformis, 

 of a heavier and less recent character than the bones from the South Island, have come 

 from birds which lived in ' post-pliocene,' or quaternary, or even earlier times. But all ■ 

 the species seem to have existed and abounded when the present race of Maoris set foot 

 on New Zealand, and the final extirpation to have been of comparatively recent date."* 



Upon another subject of equal, if not indeed of greater interest, a controversy is still 

 being carried on, but with comparatively little satisfactory material for the determina- 

 tion of the points at issue — I allude to the question of the origin of the present New 

 Zealanders and the date of their first arrival in these islands. I. ventured to take part 

 in this discussion by reviewing the traditions collected and published by Sir George Grey, 

 in which a period of 600 j^ears back is fixed as that of the arrival in these islands of the 

 first Maori immigrants. The object of my paper was to show that, although the tradi- 

 tions in question afford that class of testimony which traditions usually offer in support 

 of the assumption that the present race is descended from the union of immigrants from 

 the northward with people previously in occupation, they give (taken by themselves) no 

 assistance whatsoever in determining the date at which or the locality from which this 

 immigration took place. Upon this subject, also, we have Dr. von Haast and others on 

 the one side contending that the present race is of very recent introduction to these 

 islands, whilst persons well acquainted with Maori lore, supported by considerations 

 which are not touched by the learned doctor and his friends, are clearly of opinion that 

 the story of the Maori migration to these islands is a very old one indeed. My own 

 opinion is that we are as yet utterly wanting in the materials necessary for the deter- 

 mination of the question at issue, and that we ought to suspend all judgment upon it 

 until the traditions and history of the allied races in the other Pacific islands, with full 



* Trans. Zool. Soc, X., pt. iii., p. 185. 



