BONES OF MOA

Hokitika Guardian, 29 April 1939, Page 8

BONES OF MOA

RESIDENT’S FIND UNDER HOUSE

WELLINGTON, April 27.

Digging under his house in' the suburb Of. Seatoun, Mr N. W. Thomas found bones of a moa buried in the sapd. They were in an excellent state of preservation and have been identified by Dr W. R. B. Oliver, director of the Dominion Museum and an eminent authority on the moa, as the bdries of one of the larger species. Mr Thomas has presented them to the museum.

Mr Thomas found the bones at a depth of nine feet. They comprised a complete skeleton of either leg of the bird, - with the. exception of toebones and part of the pelvis, and were in, remarkably good order; Within a few feet -were - found several, vertebrae; of the ’blaekfish; The moa bones were large and massive and bleached and polished by the sand. They wereimeasured -and examined by Dr Oliver, who was able to identify them as bones of ■ the Ambus. Huttoni; a. heavilyrbuilt -species found- mainly- in- the South Island. I Subsequently on re-examining the bones in the museum collection Dr Oliver found a bone of the, same spec-: ies, which had been found at Martin- ; borough, and expressed an opinion that ,ifc-ba4 probably inhabited the North Island also.Thcsc airei-tbe first inoa bones from the district, aithough moa bones were found formerly near the Miramar golf links at a promontory consequently named Moa Point.. ,They form "ati interesting addition to the museum collection of moa bones, which came,most, ly from the east coast, Martiuborough. Conoor caves and the Te Apte swamp.