QQ Tramactions. — Miscellaneous. 



In the following year, 1839, the Eev. W. Williams again visited that dis- 

 trict, accompanied by the Eev. E. Taylor. The non-arrival of the vessel 

 by which these gentlemen were to retm-n to the Bay of Islands, which caused 

 them a fortnight's detention at the East Cape), afforded them much more 

 leisure time than I had when there. Mr. Taylor, hearing of this Moa, 

 prosecuted his enquiries, and was subsequently rewarded with the discovery 

 of (what appeared to be) a part of a fossil toe (or rather claw) of some gigantic 

 bird of former days. 



In the summer of 1841-2, I again visited those parts. At Waiapu I 

 gained the information, that Whakapunake (the mountain where the Moa 

 was said to reside) had been visited by some baptized natives, purposely to 

 ascertain the truth of the common belief ; and which they declared to be 

 altogether without foundation ; finding neither cavern, nor lizard-guards, nor 

 Moa, nor any signs of such uncommon liisus naturce. But what was of far 

 greater interest to me than this relation of theirs, were some bones which I 

 had the good fortune to procure from them, and which were declared by the 

 natives to be true Moa bones. These bones, seven in number, were all 

 imperfect, and comprised five femora, one iihia, and one which I have not 

 yet been able satisfactorily to determine. The largest femur, consisting ojc 

 the diaphysis only without the processes, measured eight inches in length, 

 and four and three-quarter inches in girth in the narrowest part. The 

 portion of the tibia (which, like i\\e femur, consisted only of the middle part), 

 measured in length six inches, and in circumference four inches at 

 the narrowest, and five inches at the widest part. The still remaining 

 bone, the largest of all, which was merely a section, measured m length 

 six inches, and in circumference seven and a quarter inches in the 

 smallest x^art. These bones were all (excepting the last mentioned) of a 

 very dark colom-, almost a ferruginous brown, and appeared to have 

 entirely lost their oily matter. They were very stout, especially the tibia, 

 and were strongly marked and indented on the outside with muscular 

 impressions. Within, what little remained of the reticulated cells appeared 

 to be nearly perfect. They were all found by the natives in the Waiapu 

 river, and were collected by them for the purpose of cutting-up and attach- 

 ing to their fish-hooks, in order to fish. The portion of tibia which I 

 obtained had been sawn across by the native in whose possession it was, 

 for that purpose. I also obtained several hooks, each having portions of 

 the bones of the Moa attached to it. I could not, however, ascertam, from 

 the smallness of the slips, whether these had been originally cut out of such 

 bones as those I had just procm-ed, or whether they had not been sawn 

 fi'om bone of a difi'erent description and larger size. 



