OLD BONES FOUND.

Gisborne Times, Volume LXVII, Issue 10566, 20 April 1928, Page 5

OLD BONES FOUND.

.TOLAGA BAY .DISCOVERY., . IDENTIFICATION DIFFICULT. MOA OR SEA MAMMAL? -''Gisborne, at the moment, is distinctly in need of an authority uti osteology. Lying in the Dueo Motor . Service garage, Wiiither it was : brought yesterday by ‘Mr OSear S6l- - a curious mass of bone winch. was unearthed in, Tolaga Bay •on -Wednesday. Workmen engaged 'on "footpath • construction" in, the Coast township came upon this relic about. three feet below the surface. Investigation's in the same locality are proceeding in the hopes of find-. trig, further fragments of this old-; time creature. : The mass of bone is remarkably heavy and is triangular in . shape, measuring 30 inches tfy_ 32 inches' and converging to a point with a depth of about 14 inches at the thicker end. At the sides are what are undoubtedly sockets wherein other large portions of the skeleton litted. The broader portion—top or bottom whichever it be—is slightly •convex on one side and on the other is concave and smooth, strongly conjuring up the impression that it was the palate of the creature. Running parallel with this concave Surface, is a king tapering sliver of bone, starting at the broader end and being equal in length to the “palate.” Tins was ' a separate piece of bone, but clearly fits in at the thicker end'in a position where * the formation strongly suggests ei(r ther a gullet or a- pelvis. On the convex -side, towards the base of the triangle, is a round hole about 1} inches in diameter, while the apex is formed by two points, giving, the impression, through slight disimilarity with, the remainder of the bone, of being the stumps of tusks. ' Speculation is rife as to what species is represented by this fragment and opinions appear equally divided between the moa and some member of the sea mammals. On toehalf of the former, it is argued that the hole at the broad end is the aperture whence arose the spinal cord to the neck of the birdfurther that .'the convex triangular surface is similar to the structure of all bird skeletons ; and that the .-sockets at the side are all that remains of the creature’s legs.' Supporters of the mammal theory aver that tlie general shape is clearly that of such a creature' and some . consider that the hole! was the “blow-hole” of the ; marine denizen—the -latter argument, however, must be discountedas the hole does ribt extend into, what would be, if the whale theory is correct, the mouth whence the water is expelled in the action of spouting. In view of the fact that a greatdeal of whaling whs formerly carried on about Tolaga Bay, ft ap- i pears probable that the bone is that of a sea creature. Mr G. J. Black, of Kaiti, who has examined the find, advances the opinion that it is portion of the skeleton of a blaekfisli.