88 
Account of some Fossil Bones 
stratum of whitish sandstone, which ran continuously 
and precipitously for more than two miles. At the base 
of the mountain ran the river Wangaroa, down which 
we paddled in canoes for some distance. This river is a 
branch of the Wairoa River, which disembogues into 
Hawkes’ Bay. 
These natives further informed me that a Mo a resided 
in a certain high mountain in Te Waiiti district, 
nearly five days’ journey into the interior, in a N.W. 
direction from the place where we now were ; and that 
there I should find people who had actually seen the 
animal. If I was little inclined to believe in the story 
of its existence before, I was much less inclined to do so 
now: however, as my route lay that way, I noticed this 
information among my memoranda, determining to make 
every possible inquiry after it. 
Fifteen days after this I arrived at Te Waiiti, the prin¬ 
cipal village of that district, and not far from the 
residence of the second Moa, Here, however, as before, 
the people had never seen a Moa , although they had 
always heard of, and invariably believed in, the existence 
of such a creature at that place. They, too, had not any 
bones in their possession, though such, they said, were 
very commonly seen after heavy floods. The day follow¬ 
ing I passed close by the mountain where this Moa had 
resided for so many years, but noticed nothing more than 
usual (although I availed myself to the utmost of the use 
of my pocket telescope), save that this part of the country 
had a much more barren and desolate appearance than 
any I had hitherto witnessed. 
I returned, in the autumn, to the Bay of Islands, 
without gleaning any further information relative to the 
Moa. 
It should, however, appear (from information which 
I have recently received from the Rev. W. Williams) 
