102 
Account of some Fossil Bones 
sphere*, and that a connecting link is, as it were, wanting 
between the Rhea of the Straits of Magellan,the Dromiceius 
of New Holland, the Casuarius of the Indian Archipelago, 
and the Apteryx of New Zealand, and that this con¬ 
necting link may, in all probability, be supplied in the 
Moa , I think we shall be constrained to assign our 
Moa a place between the genera Casuarius and Apteryx , 
possessing as it does (only in a much greater degree) the 
immense size and strength of the former, combined with 
the short tarsi, and probably wingless structure, of the 
latter. 
I venture, however, to suppose that we may gain an 
additional gleam of light (both upon the probable period 
at which the Moa existed, and also on the family to 
which it may be allied,) by a consideration of the ety¬ 
mology of its name. The word Moa , whence is it derived ? 
I confess I know not any New Zealand word from which 
it may be supposed to have derived its origin. And this 
* It may not be amiss to give here an outline of the genera com¬ 
posing the family of Strut honidee, seeing they are hut few. Each 
genus contains but one single species. In the present state of our 
knowledge the group may be thus arranged:— 
Class, AVES. 
Order IV. Rasores, Vigors. 
Family IV. Strut hojiidce. 
Genus 1. Strutiiio, Lmnceus. (Type of the group) Ostrich of 
South Africa, possessing two toes. 
Genus 2. Casuarius, Brisson . Cassoivary of the Indian Archi¬ 
pelago : three toes. 
Genus 3. Dromiceius, Vieillot . Emu of New South Wales: 
three toes. 
Genus 4. Rhea, Vieillot . Nandu of Straits of Magellan: three 
toes. 
Genus 5. Didus, Linn. Dodo, (formerly an inhabitant of the 
Isles of Mauritius and Bourbon): three toes. Extinct. 
Genus 6. Apteryx, Shaw. Kiwi of New Zealand : three toes 
and a rudimentary one. 
Genus 7. Moa of New Zealand : three toes. Supposed to be 
extinct. 
