412 Transactions. — Geology. 



the clay, I excavated but a small paddock in the lignite, and getting nothing 

 more than I had already obtained in a better condition from the first paddock, 

 I did not think it necessary to continue the work of excavation. 



Of the moa bones collected, all of them seem to be referable to not more 

 than two species ; and of these the bones of Binornis elejjJiantojms certainly 

 constitute nine-tenths of the whole. 



The remains of other birds were very rare in the bone-bed, belonging, 

 with the exception of a few fragments, to Harpagornis moorei. All the bones 

 of this species that were strong enough to resist the pressure of the over- 

 lying deposit are beautifully preserved. The only part which has suffered 

 damage from this cause is the skull, which, occupying an interspace 

 between two large moa bones, managed to escape total destruction. 



A curious feature in the mode of occurrence of these Harpagornis bones 

 is that all those of the leg and wing were found with their greatest length 

 vertical in the bone-bed. This was also noticeable in the case of most of 

 the immature moa bones. 



Finding that there was but small probability of finding the skeleton of 

 an individual moa by itself, and equally little being the hope of securing 

 the material to construct one, I had to be contented with making a selection 

 of the larger leg bones and such vertebra ribs and toe bones as were met 

 with during the progress of the excavation. 



I have already mentioned that the bone-bed was covered to some depth 

 by a deposit of gravel, clay, and loamy soil, and that it rested on a bed of 

 well-worn gravel the thickness of which could not be ascertained at the 

 place where the bones were found. 



From a little south of the Motanau Eiver to Stonyhurst, a distance of 

 seven miles, these gravels overlying tertiary strata form between the coast 

 range and the shore line a table-land elevated 200 to 300 feet above the 

 sea. On the seaward side this is bounded by a line of high cliffs washed by 

 the tide at high water. Besides the Motanau Eiver, there are three smaller 

 streams which rising on the western break through the eastern ridge of the 

 coast range and flow across these flats in narrow channels, which are now so 

 deeply cut that tmtil an elevation of the coast-line takes place, they have no 

 power to cut them deeper. A number of smaller streams rising on the 

 fiats or commencing from the slopes of the neighbouring ranges, have near 

 the coast-line cut deep channels quite to the base of the sea cliffs. The deep 

 narrow gulches thus formed do not as yet extend across the whole breadth 

 of the flats, but terminate abruptly in a cliff beyond which there is no 

 defined water-course, and as a rule no permanent stream. North of 

 Boundary Creek, which reaches the sea three miles north of Motanau, the 



