CoLENSO. — On the Moa. 101 



2. I have, in so doing, finished my work ; I shall not again write on this 

 topic. 



For my own part I am, as I have long been, satisfied. My own fresh 

 labours in this direction have only served the more fully to confirm me in 

 my old views* as to the very great antiquity of the living Moa in this North 

 Island of New Zealand. 



Few, very few, will be fully able to comprehend the immense amount of 

 labour this enquhy has cost me ; the amount of time, writing, and patient 

 research consumed would be almost incredible, especially in my seeking 

 after ancient names of places and of persons containing the term Moa, — and 

 what a very small result ! I have often been led to think of the amount of 

 toil spent in obtaining two dishes for the banquet of Hehogabalus, viz.: of 

 ostriches' and nightingales' tongues ! and yet all devoured in an hour. 



In fine, the conclusion I have come to is this : — 



1. That the bird Moa (some of those of its genera and species) was 

 really known to the ancient Maori. 



2. That such happened very long ago, in almost pre-historical times ; 

 long befo7-e the beginning of their genealogical descents of tribes, which, as 

 we know, extend back for more than twenty-five generations, 



3. That this conclusion is the only logical deduction from all that I have 

 been able to gather; whether myth, legend, proverb, song, or the etymo- 

 logical rendering of proper names of places, persons, etc. 



I will conclude my paper in the highly suitable words of Tacitus, when 

 writing on another celebrated bird of great antiquity, which had given him 

 and other philosophers before him an immense amount of labour— I mean 

 the Phcenix. Tacitus says: "In the consulship of Paulus Fabius and 

 Lucius Vitellius, after a long series of ages, the bird called the Phoenix 

 arrived ua Egypt, and fm-nished the most learned of the natives and Greeks 

 with occasion for much speculation concerning that marvel * * * But 

 the accounts of antiquity are enveloped in doubt and obscurity * * * 

 whence some have believed that the present was a spm-ious Phoenix * * 

 These accounts are not entitled to unqualified credit, and then* uncertamty 

 is by the admixtm^e of matter palpably fabulous : but that this bird has 

 been at some time seen in Egypt, is not questioned. "t 



Appendix II. 

 1. Of Dr. Ernest Dieffenhacli' s opinion on the Moa. 



Among the very few early scientific writers on New Zealand, who had 

 themselves travelled in and partially explored the coimtry, I may here 



* Vide Trans, N.Z. Inst., Vol. I., " Essay on the Maori Kaces," p. 58 of Essay. 

 t Annals, lib, VI., c. 28, 



