MOA REMAINS AT ALBURY. 1 95 



in the opposite direction. But we were soon compelled to abandon the 

 work in this hole owing to the impossibility of disposing of the removed 

 clay. Having several times previously dug out many valuable bones 

 from this hole, I am the more convinced that a great wealth of osseous 

 relics lies buried at various depths in the accumulated mass of clay and 

 stones partly filling it, — a veritable charnel-house of moa and other 

 remains, awaiting the enterprise of some future explorer. 



While removing our tools to another swallow-hole heavy rain 

 commenced to fall and continued for two days, which prevented us in 

 the meantime continuing the work. We however resorted to the dry 

 caves and painted rock shelters to examine their floors and sketch the 

 numerous grotesque figures adorning the walls. On the Brothers 

 Range between the Tengawai and Opihi rivers and in the valley of the 

 Opihi there ai'e a number of painted rocks and caves which have not 

 been examined or recorded. As soon as I can spare the time I intend 

 to visit the district to examine and report on them, which I hope to be 

 be able to figure and describe in a paper to be read before the New 

 Zealand Institute. Arch geologically they are of great interest and 

 value, and everywhere that they exist they are rapidly disappearing. 

 The careful digging of all the floors yielded very poor results, for 

 excepting numerous fragments of burned egg-shells and charred pieces 

 of moa bones, we obtained nothing of value. A number of Pipi 

 (Mesodesma Novce-Zealandice) and Pawa shells (Haliotis iris) were dug 

 out of the layer of ashes that partly covered the floors. Parts of the 

 rock shelters have a smoked and blackened appearance with a thick 

 layer of ashes lying immediately beneath, thus showing that fires were 

 kindled under the rocks and in the caves, probably on frosty nights or 

 during wet weather. When the rain ceased we examined a number of 

 old Maori ovens and the ash heaps around them that had been newly 

 exposed only a few days before by the first ploughing of the land. 

 They are situated on the low flat near the gorge of the Tengawai river, 

 and near the painted rocks. A thorough examination of the ovens and 

 ash heaps yielded even less than the floors of the caves or rock shelters. 

 But there were evidences of the ash heaps having been formed at 

 intervals of several years ; at least we judged so by examining them in 

 section. The greatest depth of the ash (which is composed chiefly of 

 comminuted bone,) was fourteen inches. The section in one instance 

 showed two layers of fine earth 2-J inches in thickness interlayered with 

 black ash 3 or 3J inches respectively, due, of course, to the action of 

 earthworms. We expected to be rewarded for the day's work by 

 finding some rude or polished stone implements, but none were obtained. 

 The weather continuing fine we devoted a day to traversing the whole 

 of the newly ploughed downs and collecting the upturned bones lying 

 in the furrows ; wherever we found them we dug the ground carefully 

 around for several yards and obtained some good bones and in one 

 instance some gizzard-stones. But at no time did we obtain a perfect 

 skeleton. Next morning we searched the bed and banks of the creek 

 draining the eastern side of the limestone range, — where in former 

 years I occasionally obtained good bones after floods. In passing along 

 we discovered a native oven brimful of mussels. The plough had lately 

 skinned off the five inches of soil covering the oven and left the shells 

 exposed. After being placed in the oven they were apparently never 



