﻿Haast. — Moas and Moa Himters. 99 



last excavations a large flat sandstone boulder from wlaicli these knives had 

 been broken off all round the edge. From the appearance of this stone it was 

 evident that they had been obtained by one blow, as the stone was otherwise 

 intact, but from the planes of fracture it could easily be seen that some of the 

 knives had not been of the desired shape, and in searching closely I found 

 some broken pieces which evidently had been thrown away as useless. 



I also obtained during these last excavations a shell, Fusus Zelandious, 

 through which a hole was bored in a neat manner, a testimony that this pre- 

 histoiic people was not devoid of the love of personal adornment. 



Before I shall enter into a consideration of the arguments brought forward 

 against portions of my deductions, based upon the facts given in these papers, 

 I wish to lay before you some new information, some of it of considerable 

 importance, bearing upon the subject under discussion. 



Mr. Sherbrook Walker, who is well acquainted with the Friendly Islands, 

 where he is a partner in a sheep run, writes to me as follows : — " There is a 

 tradition of a gigantic bird which once resided in Eua (one of the Friendly 

 Islands), and about half a mile from our house, on the top of the island, there 

 is a small hill of about one and a half acres in extent, and about fifty feet 

 high, covered with trees. This is called by the natives ' Te Moa,' which is, 

 being interpreted, ' moa dung,' and the legend is that the bird one day, whilst 

 passing over the island, evacuated at that spot, and raised the mount in 

 question. Of course, all this is extremely absurd, but it is curious that the 

 natives should have such a tradition ; and there is another thing I should like 

 to point out to your notice, namely, that the native name for the common 

 fowl is 'moa,' which would seem as though the traditions handed down 

 amongt them anent the extinct bird showed that it had some external resem- 

 blance to the domestic fowl, which, I think, would certainly have been the 

 case with the New Zealand Moa, only of course on vastly different scales. 

 There is also a legend in this island of a gigantic lizard, which half the natives 

 in the island made an attack upon, and, after a desperate battle, succeeded in 

 slaying. I have often had the spot pointed out to me where the fight took 

 place." 



I consider this information highly important, because it proves beyond a 

 doubt that the Polynesian inhabitants of the Pacific Ocean have the same 

 legends about a gigantic bird and lizard, and that the Maoris, as proved by the 

 Rev, W. Colenso, have in this respect no other knowledge which has a less 

 fabulous character. 



Speaking of this gentleman, I I'egret deeply that ill-health prevents him 

 from writing more fully on the subject under discussion, of which no one in 

 New Zealand is more thoroughly master, but I am glad to say that Mr. 

 Colenso fully agrees with all the principal deductions concerning the extinction 



