MOA BONES

Hokitika Guardian, 13 June 1930, Page 8

MOA BONES

DISCOVERY AT MO A WIT AN GO

WELLINGTON, June 10. Recently a collection of moa bones was discovered at Moawhango, Taihape, by Messrs Batley, Daws, and Logan. An official inspection lias been made of the relics by the director of the Dominion Museum (Mr W. R. B. Oliver), who has now furnished a report to the Minister for Internal Affairs (the Hon P. A. de la Perrelle). In the course of his report Mr Oliver says:

“I examined the moa bones collected by Mr Batley’s party and found that nine individuals were represented belonging to five species. There was no perfect skeleton and many of the hones were much broken and decayed, i The owners stated that probably the hones would be presented to the Tailiape Museum but that a few, which I indicated as useful to the Dominion Museum, would he forwarded to Wellington. Nothing, however, has so far been received. I obtained details of i the discovery, which was made in a j locality eight miles from Moawha.ngi. The entrance to a limestone cave, evidently frequented for a long time by moas, bad been gradually blocked up by soil falling from above. The bones were found in the talus slope so formed and at different depths, showing that moas had at different times died in tho cave and that their hones had been added to the debris filling tho cave mouth. The fact that five species were represented shows that is was not a case of the sudden entombment on the cave being finally hocked, hut rather that the birds had died in the cave at different times.”