﻿Gillies. — On Footimnts of the Moa. 127 



consecutive impressions of the larger series, starting from one behind those 

 which are represented in the diagram, were 19|, 20\, 21f, \%\, 20|, 19|, and 

 19 inches respectively, measured from heel to heel. The intervals in the 

 smaller series were 13 J, 12|, 13, and 12^ inches. (PI. VIII.) 



Art. IX. — On the Occurrence of Footprints of the Moa at Poverty Bay. 

 By His Honour T. B. Gillies. 



\_Read before the Auckland Institute, IQth May, 1871]. 



On 2nd March last, being at Gisborne, Poverty Bay, T remembered having 

 heai'd that Archdeacon Williams had discovered some moa footprints in the 

 neighbou.rhood, and, on inquiry, I speedily found the spot whence he had taken 

 out slabs containing the impressions. The spot is below high-water mark, on 

 the Gisborne side of the Waikanae Creek, within 100 yards of its junction 

 with the Turanganui River. On examination I found some other footprints on 

 the surface of the same stratum, but so much effaced by the wash of the waves 

 as to be scarcely worth removing. Judging, however, by the direction in which 

 these serai-obliterated footsteps led, I determined to split off the overlying 

 strata in hopes of finding some better impressions. In this I fully succeeded, 

 as the blocks in the Museum, containing eight or ten footprints, will show you. 

 A Mr. Worgan, of Napier, has, I see, further prosecuted my explorations. 

 The footmarks are about eight inches in length from the extremity of the heel 

 mark to the point of the projecting toe, and about an equal width between the 

 extreme points of the two side toes. The extreme depth of the heel impres- 

 sion is about one inch to one inch and a quarter under the ordinary surface of 

 the stone. The difference between the point of the toe and extreme of the 

 heel in each step is between five and six inches, and this struck me as extra- 

 ordinary in relation to so large a bird. Probably observations on the stride of 

 other birds may throw light on the cause of the short distance between each 

 footmark of the bird that left these tracks. The position in which they are 

 found is worthy of special notice. The height of the land above the high- 

 water mark is about five feet. This is composed of sandy alluvium, containing 

 shelly layers of recent species. Below this occur successive strata of impex-fectly 

 solidified pumiceous sandy mud-stones, or muddy pumiceous sandstones, each 

 of some four to six inches thick, but separated from each other by a thin layer 

 of from a quarter to half an inch thick of pure coarse sand. These footmarks 

 are found on about the fourth or fifth layer below the alluvial deposit above 

 referred to, and are protected from the superincumbent layer by this thin layer 

 of pure sand to which I have I'eferred. These layers have a dip of about six 

 degrees to the southward, and the footmarks were found about two feet six 



