MOA BONES AT POHUI.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 932, 27 September 1910, Page 4

MOA BONES AT POHUI.

- OF UNKNOWN ANTIQUITY. . , A Napier telegram of 'Friday last an'uounoed a- discovery -of moa - boneis in a cavo at Pohui whence'they . were disinterred by. Mr. -A. Hamilton/ director- of ■ the Dominion Museum. :. Speaking .to. a reporter yesterday, Mr. Hamilton. stated. that ;he had not yet, made a detailed. eiariiination of v the'bones; ;but he .was nevertheless .able to supply some interesting information relating to them an d. the birds to which they once belonged.' .The moas: were of.a kind once widely distributed, in'; the North' Island and which seem 'to have; been fairly plentiful,. considering ; the'; number whichhave been found in deposits that havo so far -boon examined. In tho cand-hills, ia the neighbourhood; of Wanganiii two or three good specimens. have, been found.; Another was'foundMn a cave 'at .'Waitomo" 'and there is. a good specimen in. Auckland. Museum. The bones of ;,the same type of moa have' been found as far north as Pataua anil Whangarei in, the; -North "of Auckland Province This is probably, tha most northerly point at which sjKaimens Have been recovered, but quite; possibly the li'abitat of this, particular moa extended still further north. As has been stated the bones just discovered are those of birds standing-4 feet 6 inches to 5 feet, in height. "Probably, they resembled closely ihe Sfluth American rhea,v of which there are specimens at the. Zoological' Gardens, but were of Somewhat heavier build. Unfortunately no feathers have been found in tho North-Island to afford a clue as to the colour of the moa plumaso, but probably birds Were brown or brownish black in colour; with lighter feathers in the, under, parts. The food of all these small moas seems to have , been mainly, of a vegetable nature. Small ground berries, and Shoots of young plants and;- grass .{■robably formed the staple of'their diet. They are thought to have frequented the more open parts of the country, including the bpeh uplands.' Considerable;; variations in size have been noted among specimens thus far; discovered and it is; surmised that there was a notioeable .difference. in the siM of the sexes. Whether thf male was larger than the fern ale or vice versa, has not: yet been established with certainty, bat probably the male bird was larger than his mat*. As..an aid to .the solution of problems of this natur& ytlis finding of additional specimens _nas,. , of course,'a particular value. Mr. Hamilton deoliiwd to speculate as .to. the precise period at which tho; rnginal owners of these iiewly-discoverad mua bones lived and died. It is, he states, a matter. of impossibility in many oasea to determine the age of deposits, with any approach to exactitude, In the caso.of the Pohui spsoimens the deposit of lime which covered seme of the bones must have taken a considerable time to accumulate. As a rule bones found in dry caves, are in an. ex.oollent state of preservation and might remain so for an unknown period. Un the other handthose exposed to dampness arid change of temperature would- very soon disappear. There is at: present, in the Dominion Museum a specimen of a small spocies of moa, standing about 3 feet G inches-high, ■'and similar in general character to those found at Pohui.: This speoinien is in a well-nigh , perfect, , state of preservation. . . ' . Messrs. T. Kennedy Macdonald and Co. advertise a sale'of land at; their premises in Lambton Quay, on September 29. The annual meeting of the Wellington, Industrial Association will be held in the Norwich Chambers this evening, at 8 p.m. The Wairarapa and East Const. P.. and A. Society's annual show will be held at Cartorton on Wednesday, October 26, anu Thursday, October 27. : ~ The anniversary tea and annual meeting of the Courtenay Place Congregationl Church will be held this evenisg, tea 'at-6.18, and a-public meeting in- the. ehorch at W&