FIND OF MOA BONES

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2921, 6 November 1916, Page 9

FIND OF MOA BONES

IN WAIKANA VALLEY. i To the cast of Mataura, amongst tho Tuturau hills, where tho last battlo between the Slaoris occurred, when lopi, of Ruapuke, defeated To Rauparaha's chief Te Puoho, lies the valley of Waikana. On the flank of tho hills, in a swampy paddock, there has recently been brought to light the remains of a large number of moas. This swampy flat- is on the property of Sir. T. M'Kin'nell, and was being drained. ,In the trench along its margin the owner observed some bones, which in_ years gono by wore regarded by certain earlier ditchers as those of oxen. But Slr.^' M'Kinnell' thought otherwise immediately ho camo across tlicm, and fortunately sent a snmplo of them to the Otago University Sluseum, states the "Otago Daily Times." A week or two ago Dr. Bcnham paid a visit tho locality, and received tho hospitality of Mr. M'Kinnell, , whoso sons most_ kindly enlarged the trench at a certain part. "An afternoon was spent in excavating a small area, with tho result- that numbers of bones were secured. Tho bones wore found at about, four feet below the surface, lying iu a. bed of peat about two feet thick. An area of somo five square yards was dug over by the M'Kinnells, and tho bones of threo. species were recognised. So densely packed wero they that leg bones of some fifteen individuals were found in this limited space, as well as many other parts of tho skeleton. Most of tho bones wero lying intermingled witli one another, but a few wero so placed as to suggest that all entire bird had met its death at the spot—had been perhaps bogged here. No doubt this accumulation was that of centuries, as the bones present different, degrees of discolouration by tho peat.' Some are but little darker than bono colour, others are almost black, and most are dark brown. All aro well preserved. It appears possible that the moas used tho stream which ran through what is now the swamp' as a drinking place, or that a small pond existed, and that some of them ■ became bogged hero, but the position of most of the bones suggests that tho dead birds had boon carric(\ thither by Hoods or froshlots from tho mountain side, an# had .been brought to a stop at this lakelet,, which now forms a somewhat swampy paddock some five acres in extent.•