A STRANGE FIND.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2257, 22 September 1891, Page 3

A STRANGE FIND.

Mr H. 0. Forbes, of the Christchurch Museum, has supplied the Press with particulars with regard to the finding of moa bones in Oamaru. He says :—•“ The find, was made on Mr Meek’s farm, near Oamaru, in a little depression between the hills forming the head of a small gully. On arrival I engaged two men to assist us in digging, etc., and the next morning we went to work from very early until dark. We found the bones in excellent preservation, embedded, extending over a very small space comparatively, in peat, with clay underlying. In no case were the bones more than three feet below the surface. We got representative portions I should say of some 350 birds, and from appearances I should think that some 800 birds must have died on the spot. When I tell you that there is no sign of stones or gravel where we found the bones, and that we took a cartload of white crop stones, you can form some idea as to the number of birds which must have perished in that little piece of ground, how or in what manner it is impossible at present to say. In addition to the moa bones, we also found those representative of the true eagle, the big goose, one or two species of the common duck, a large bird undiscovered before, and the little grey kiwi. The

• most remarkable point about the discovery is that it would have been impossible for all the birds to have stood on the space in which we found the bones, and how they came there is a mystery. Under one moa breast-bone, which was perfectly complete, we found the contents of the stomach of the bird in a splendid state of preservation, comprising chewed grass, .with numerous white crop stones. We also found the remains of a piece of egg, evidently showing that «the birds had been nesting there. There is not the slightest indication of Maoris having been in the neighbourhood, and the birds must have died a natural death as none of the bones are broken. There was no signs, I may say, of any great disturbance having taken place, any more than a slight subsidence of the clay on the hill sides. As to the species of moa, I may say that we found no new ones. The bones are, so far as I could see by the cursory examination I was able to make as we took them put, merely a reduplication of those found at Glenmark. Of course I cannot say for certain until 1 have had an opportunity of carefully examining the bones in the boxes, but speaking roughly I do not think I shall find any new species. Though I was fortunately able to go down and see the bones removed and thus become acquainted with all the surrounding circumstances of the discovery, I am quite unable, in the light of what has hitherto been made known with regard to the moa, to offer any explanation as to how the bones got there, We found them all lying across each other in the small area I have spoken of, and we came across them in pockets so to speak.