THE HISTERIDA OF NEW ZEALAND. 153 
implied on the part of an animal actuated solely by instinct is 
most extraordinary, if not quite without precedent. [| appre- 
hend no such reply from naturalists, though others may venture 
even further. It may be suggested that the Dinornis provided 
subsistence for it, possibly, but it must have been a very pre- 
carious means of livelihood. I consider it extremely doubtful, 
if not altogether inadmissible. Had such been the case, we may 
feel sure that one or more of the skilful investigators—men accus- 
tomed to deal with scientific difficult problems, who carefully 
examined the remains of the moa in different localities—would 
not have overlooked the presence of the hard and glossy shells 
of this beetle. I think we are justified in assuming that it had 
nothing to do with the moa. Perhaps we may be reminded of 
the much-talked-of New Zealand rat! Well, I can have no 
objection to that, but I scarcely think anyone will seriously credit 
our only known quadruped with the preservation of our Saprinus 
from the fate which has overtaken the moa and rat alike. It 
has not to my knowledge been found upon stranded fish, nor on 
birds, either native or foreign. Here established data come to 
an end, so we are compelled to substitute what may be con- 
sidered little better than mere conjecture in order to arrive at 
some definite conclusion. 
My theory may be thus expressed :—The insect did not 
originally inhabit our forests, and consequently did not abruptly 
abandon its normal state of existence for another and altogether 
different one, neither has it been miraculously spared from 
extinction. The beetle, in my humble opinion, accompanied the 
Maories in their migrations to these islands, and may therefore 
be looked upon as an importation from abroad. Now, if this 
point be conceded, we may await with confidence the ultimate 
decision as to which of the many surmises regarding the 
original habitat of the Maori is the true one. We know very 
well that many of the islands lying between Asia and Australia 
have been but little frequented by Europeans, more rarely have 
they been explored by experienced naturalists, and it cannot be 
asserted that their entomological faunz have been at all 
exhaustively studied ; so we need not be surprised at the absence 
of any record of the presence of Saprinus pseudocyaneus in such 
an extensive area. This, however, seems certain, if the beetle in 
question be found to exist on any of these islands, we, or our 
posterity, will be enabled to indicate the exact spot or spots from 
whence the Maoris migrated with as much certainty as if there 
had been living eye-witnesses, or indisputable written evidence, 
to testify to the embarkation. 
Lake Takapuna, Auckland, 5th May, 1882. 
