MR.HAMILTON'S LATEST FIND.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 930, 24 September 1910, Page 3

MR.HAMILTON'S LATEST FIND.

. i -y—-.. ;- v'--;. CAVE AND MOA 'SKELETONS. • ,B r TeJegraph.-iPrbss Association.) >■'£ : : / •Napier,;;Septcmber-23... ■ Mr..A. -Hamilton;--(ronitoii lJomimon Museum, -, has just returned from Pohui,' where' lie exam ined; a small which had/.been, found on Mr.' G.' I\ Donnelly's -run,: at 'afctho. ftefetn'- cnd ; .<if ■ tHol;Poh'ui. bush, Von'the Alaungahoro Range.: The cavxT was found, Mr. Hamilton, ! explained, ' this afternoon, by. a- rabbiter, whoso*dog enteredpursuit pf : .a-, rabbit/S'lt' pi'oved :tb .1»; about'.. 80ft:: in-length,.;ffi>in :2ft;: to :.sft;'.in N about.'4ft; iii width. r -.The*'en'trahce.'was. ; mucli olh soured by ..trees : -.aid rocks, but -these. being. bleared -:away,: it was; found ;,tb'at. the. bo nesof : two ' moas. were '.lying in a heap at the .extreme, end of. the cave. The moas were j'of '.a': which, vi-heri; : alive,' stood- about: oft. y'in .height; One of the. specimens was fairly: complete,' .but ~ some :of the smaller bones hrfa •fallen-" iiito: the\ interstices,.of' the- root, which formed' tlio floor "of the cavo,- and it was found impossible to recover 1 them. As : the space), for . working was' limit^j'.'avcrowbar;.could ;not. be ustxl.' The othor skeleton was somewhat less perfect, but. the .bones . were all in a •good". 'stato.-.of- preservation. It was.-.Hoped:-that,;,possibly, the cavo- might have'been/dry one,' and that .feathers l would have, been found. - The: feathers of the: North; Islanjd^specie's yet been ; V : No~ bones/of 6ther. birds were.-found;witli. the- irioas. ;"The, 'end> of:- ilio. cave where.;tlio bones. vrero . found was -' thickly-encrusted.-. ;with : deposits from limestone, and some of the. Bones';, were ; also thickly coated. ■*' -'-i\.' ' - 'it ' '