THE SOUTHERN ESCORT.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume IV, Issue 256, 30 January 1874, Page 3

THE SOUTHERN ESCORT.

. The Southern' escort arrived in town List week, bringing down the following'quantities of gold:— OZB. flwfß. Lawrence 2,393,13 Wnipori 286 19 VVaitahunn, 424 R, Swilssers* ... ~. 1,709 7 Tokomairiro •«* '■'-... 290 0 . , ' : '- ' 5,104 5 Northernesrort ..'.,1(5,129 19 ', ' .'_ -' -Mont lily .'total -21,234 4 t I ' ' vl

SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION AT MA MILTON.

In our number of January 2nd, in a short report of Hamilton, we mentioned that there was, near the Cornishmen's claim, a very curious deposit of moa remains, which would' well repay scientific investigation. Our contemporary, the ' Daily Times ' —a journal that has.a keen eye for a paragraph of service to sciencp, though not always given to acknowledge from what source it derives its information —copied our remark into its columns. "We are glad to learn that the general publicity thus given resulted hva visit' being made to the ground by tbe Provincial Geologist, Captain LETutton. That gentleman at once saw the importance, in a scientific point of view, of having this remarkable accumulation carefully examined. Mr. Booth, a natural born ornithologist, and Mr. Edmonds, of Hamilton, were engaged to open up the swamp, and carefully preserve all that might be found. This work is still being pioceeded with, about a dray load of bones having -been carefully taken out and cleaned. A temporary screen to protect them from the sun is erected, and under this the curious specimens are arrayed*. The most imposing sight is of course the greater bones of the dinonfis palapteryx, its immense thighs, Jeet, and toes, and the altogether disproportionate head which) like all birds of this order, is of a very insignificant size. The more interesting, and probably more valuable features of the investigation, are likely to be the discovering some traces of mammalia, or even of ; shell6sh, insects,-or other birds contemporary with the great moa, by which some data might be arrived at as to the time when he, the veritable king of nature, roamed unmolested through the length and breadth of the.island.

One other point of evidence ihay be evolved of interest. It is very commonly supposed that the Maoris lived on the flesh of the moa, that the accumulation of bones is merely the marks of their camping grounds, sometimes attested by the presence of ovens and other signs of human settlement.'; A suggestion has even been mentioned to us second hand that the reason that the thigh bones are so commonly found singly on the hills, while the smaller bones are on the flats, is that the quarry was pursued and killed on the hills, the grosser portions being left on the ground, the more succulent and lighter remains being carried away to the camps. Such a deposit as is at present being opened up would, •by, so far, its entire barrenness of signs of human agency militate very much against the alleged connection of the Maoris and the moa. Yve can hardly conceive how such an accumulation could take place by human agency;-or- while tribes were - on~l;heplain, without some mark, either, a stone weapon or. a bit of matting, being left as proof. Almost directly opposite Hamilton, on Eough Eidge, about two or three years ago, a human skull, wrapped in Maori matting—the hair remaining—waa discovered. The plaits of the matting had resisted all the effects of the many years that must have elapsed since this solitary memorial of a human being was deposited under the rock where it was found. We are not very Avell aware what has been advanced ,by way of positive proof that the Maori was contemporary with these, great birds. "We fancy, .however, that what has been c?hzzi K?.s becnjnore conjecture than proof—the strongest link being probably based on tradition. As to the .actual results arrived at, so far as thp peat bog has, been observed, we learn that several species of the Dinornis have been detected, and also the remains of an extinct,; goose, only one specimen of which has ! as yet been discovered, and is in-the Christchurch museum. There are also bones of an extinct eagle; and, perhaps, not least'interesting of all, a jaw of a rat, apparently allied to .the' common species. The bog is not,, however, nearly, cleaned out yet. and more important discoveries may yet bebrought to light. All the bones are to be drayed down to Dunedin for careful observation. A few of the most important have been already" despatched by coach, as there is a, good deal of anxiety displayed by the town savants to examine them.

Numberless conjectures will be inkde as to the conditions under, which this deposit has accumulated. What power could induce some hundreds of birds,, several of whom must jiave been- as large as ostriches, to rush into a pool or bog about twenty feet square at the outside. Could it be physically possible for them to get into such a space alive? We think not. If this physical impossibility could be proved,, a very strong argument in favor of- human agency would at once arise. --It can hardly be credited that, year" by year, the birds themselves \vOuldcome to die in the same place. The mixed and often horizontal position of the thigh bones, it was pointed out to us by Mr. Booth, would be against the theory of swamping in a" life state by pressure;of .surrounding bush fire or other. agency7—for, it would naturally be expected that, -from, the weight -of the birds, the lower portions of the leg bones would "be found downwards, or at the bottom, which is' not the case. Uur own opinion, from the appearance 'of the bones', interwoven as they are with drift, with ■ peat accumulated above, iti .that the remains are of a much more ancient date than has been generally conceived,' probably far older th;m the small bog with its subjacent white clay and spring, that now envelope them.. We have no proof, to our lwiowledge, that human, traces have I been {bund in New Zealand at all.cor-

responding to the d ••,»"« «{' «uch r?m a ins delected in-fh:> ;v~ii, <->:• w'-i-ii; is called recent peat *brm,vi n in i J )i'.g!a:id and Kurope. These reuudtis -hemy works of art of the ago of iron and bronze—have been found with trices of extinct animals, such as the hear and tiger, hippopotamus and bycena, thus attesting to thoir very great age. AVe 'shall' look with much interest for any 'report that Captain llutton may issue upon this very interesting investigation at Hamilton.