discovered in New Zealand. 
85 
Oil our return to the Bay of Islands, several natives 
from the East Cape District accompanied us. From 
them I subsequently received pretty nearly the same 
details concerning the Moa as I had before heard 
when in that neighbourhood. 
In the following year (1839), the Rev. W. Williams 
again visited that district, accompanied by the Rev. R. 
Taylor. The non-arrival of the vessel by which these 
gentlemen were to return to the Bay of Islands, (which 
caused them a fortnight’s detention at the East Cape), 
afforded them much more leisure time than I had when 
there. Mr. Taylor, hearing of this Moa , prosecuted his 
inquiries ; and was subsequently rewarded with the dis¬ 
covery of (what appeared to be) a part of a fossil toe (or 
rather claw) of some gigantic bird of former days. 
In the summer of 1841-42 I again visited those parts. 
At Waiapu I gained the information, that Wakapunake 
(the mountain where the Moa was said to reside) had 
been visited by some baptized natives, purposely to 
ascertain the truth of the common belief; and which 
they declared to be altogether without foundation ; finding 
neither cavern, nor lizard-guards, nor Moa, nor any signs 
of such uncommon lusus natures. But what was of far 
greater interest to me than this relation of theirs, were some 
bones which I had the good fortune to procure from them, 
and which were declared by the natives to be true Moa 
bones. These bones, -seven in number, were all im¬ 
perfect, and comprised, five femora , one tibia , and one 
which I have not yet been able satisfactorily to determine. 
The largest femur , consisting of the diaphysis only 
without the processes, measured 8 inches in length, and 
4 j inches in girth in the narrowest part. The portion of 
the tibia (which, like the femur , consisted only of the 
middle part), measured in length 6 inches, and in circum¬ 
ference 4 inches at the narrowest, and 5 inches at the 
