THE MOA.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 8793, 1 May 1890, Page 1 (Supplement)

THE MOA.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir,—l have reaa with much interest the letttr.i of J. C. in jour columns "on the moa," and Mr Bathgato a reply. With the latter lam more,dfspoeed to agree, and thin feeling Is based on information received by mo over 20 yejrs ago. I havomade diligent search for the original memoranda, but am unable to find it, although it is not more than six months since I saw It among some old papers, I forwarded the particulars at the time to late Dr Yon IIMBI,, and I am equally unfortunate in finding hi 3 remarks upon the communication which were attached to the memorandum in question. As a rule people don't care to give their opinion or the resuits of their observations on this question in consequence of the ridicule attached to those who professed ti iiave seen fc!ie "moa" or some large bird to _ which they had given the name. So ranch was I impressed with tho corroborative testimony that I was wilhog to form one of a small company of five, subscribing £10 each for thonec»sa?ryoa!li' ;'ml appliances to search tha country where this laiye bird was last seen-viz ,on the south of the Walau One of tho three men who was prospecting for gold, ami who had seen the large footprints and dropping, ;:* Urge in mass as a calves, was one of the projected paity Tha ridicule exoiled damped the enterprise, and the matter fell through. I will give, from memoty. the particulars, which are retained as clearly a 3 though the information was given but yesterday. When the Lake traffic was at Its 1-eleht » man named Patrlck-I forget tha sum tue -had a bullock .earn engaged on tho J>.ke road as a carrier. When freights fell low he sold the team for a good IWurn and, being a single man, took to ordinary colonial work, among others sheep sheering during the shearing season. This man and other two arraneed, when shearing was finished, tn form a prospecting jarty and search the south-west banks of the Waiau" Xliiß was in the winter or autumn of 1867. They crossed the Waiau at Cuthbertsou's, who owned a Bmall sheep station, and prospected the river banks up to the junction of tho M.iraroa. obtaining. 430z of gold. After passing the junction of tills tributary no trace of gold was obta'ned. This country tho writer is acquainted with, and a glance at the map will show the route and distance these men travelled and prospected, and may throw additional light on the M-esence of gold at Preservation Inlet and adjacent Islands. As theirprovisions fell short.and they had no means at that time of enrsing this large river, they in turn increased their stock by Bbooting wood-lions. It was one of the three mea when so engaged that observed the I»rge prints and receutdroppings I have mentioned. He followed the tracks into the bush until night compelled his return to camp and told )is mates what he had seen, who next day were shown ,ne foot-prints and droppings, and traced them until oat in the immense bush which clothes the bulks of the Walau in that district. I may remark that the loot-prints were on the silt where the river had recently overflowed. As winter weather was experienced, food exhausted, and a long journey back to Fit» %°il ing ?? c»tll»>«tson's. they gave up for the time all thoughts of further search. The above was communicated in the presence of n number of shearers and men engaged in mustering sheep on one of the large stations tn Southland. Among the men engaged In mustering wae one nsmed JohnM'Donald, a native of the North of Ireland, and who had been in Hew Zealand only some 12 or 18 months. He'd come, if I renumber correctly, from Adelaide to the Bluff, and was engaged by the late Mr D. If Rorle, of Invereargill as mustering shepherd for Mr Cuthbertson, of the Vaiau. M'Donald's statement was, in Bubstance as follows, and it is to be remarked that what he saw was in the same country and on the same aide- of the W»iau river that the three men above-mentioned had been prospecting: — M'Donald B»id, " It was on a Saturday, and there had been some rain which stopped shearing. Tho master told me to take my hor;e and gotoa'hut some distance from the Btation and bringhome some sheepskins that were drying on a fence. This hut was near a small creek, and the skins were drying lome little distance from It, where the sheep' had been killed for shepherds use. I had got the skins on my horse, nnd was in the act of tightening the ' girths when the horse made a bound, broke from the fastening, threw all the skins about, and galloped down to the hut When I looked around, I saw a largo bird, the biggest I ever saw, crossing to the bush where there was ?n opening, and a ford on the creek. With nne bound he leaped the creek and walked up tha opposite terrace. looking at me and moving his long neck and head up and down, lia legs were bare to look at, only he appeared to have something liko ribbed stockings on. They looked striped by the short look I had of them." Sueli in substance, and in M'Donald's case almost hi 3 own words, was theMnformatlon furnished to the late Dr Yon Haast, and tha public can place what credenca they please on tho dtatement. I give it- a 3. I received it, and cannot help thinking that the testimony of the diggers when prospecting goes to corroborate the statement of M'Donald, Both were given under circumstances, and with a reserved fear that l.hey would bo laughed at. I give my name and address.— I am, S:c., AP«I2B. Tommy Foßnnvrnr.

TO THE EDITOH. S'B,-I am rather gratified to see that my articles on tho moa in your exhibition supplement have been productive of some discussion. The subjeit, as pointed out by Mr G. 11. Thomson, of the Otaeo High School has been pretty fully discussed in the Transactions of the New Zealand Institute, and there is little further to edd to the discussion. I was not .1 lHtie surprised, on seeing a letter signed "J. 0.,"t0 Icarn that anyone making such tremendous pretensions as your correspondent does, could pooh! pooh I the conclusions of accurate ob-.ervers and careful collectors, who have studied the question closely. There are few atinnc: those qualified to give an opinion who now hold the view that the entire race of moas was a very ancient race; the evidence to tho contrary is too conclusive to permit anyone possessing even the merest smattering of scientific knowledge to arrive at any such couclusion. But if is quite apparent that " J. 0 ,"who is the only one of youc correspondents. 60 far. to take exception 10 the view that the Maori and the moa werecontemporary, has evolved from his own inner consciousness the foregone conclusion that the raoa died out in very ancient times, and from that poaition not oven wild horses could shift him. Discussion with such a person would be utterly profitless. Had your correspondent visite,) the exhibition he would there have ssen some Interesting relics of the moa, that could not possibly have been in existence from any very remote period. Some of the bones, especially a large pelvis bone, showed neither signs of" fossilisation ror weathering. This bone, which may bo seen any day in the Otago Museum, is ind'ed quite I as well preserved as someof thebonesof ourdomestio animals that have been exposed to the elements for the last quarter of a century. If the remains of the moa were always found embedded in ancient deposits or in drifts derived from these deposits, then " j. C. " might have some show of argument on his side; but as a matter of fact moa remains have been found on tho surface, pretty well all over Otago at any rate, and in many cases some of the bones have been charred by grass fires passing over them. Then, again, when your correspondent assume* that the portlois of skeletons found with the dried skin and flesh still adhering to them have been in some miraculous way preserved from tho destructive influence of the New Zealand climate, hequite places himself outside the pale of reasonable argument. It will take more than dogmatic assertion to overthrow the conclusions of Sir Walter Buller, whose authority I was mainly guided by.—lain, &c, April 26. YOUR Eepoeteb.

TO THE EDITOR. Sin,—l have read with great intore3t the letters of 11 J. O." and Mr Bathgate and others touching the extinction of the moa.and I am unable to agree with either.

The glacial extinction theory Is capable of absolute disproof.

The fire extinction theory and also the theory of extermination by human means are not tenable. Will " J". C." or Mr Bathgato answer two questions?—

Ist. On what kind of food did the moa subsist? and :nd. Is the same kind of food existent now?

When they have answered those questions I will give them the result of some observations made by royself which may possibly throw new light on the suhject.— lam.&c., Pa-Taotara, April 28. YrscEfT Pykk. P.S —By tho way, why does not " J. O." sign his name like a mau who is not ashamed of his opinion ? Then one would kuow what weight to attach to it. I don't caro to fight shidows,—V. P.