Another Moa story

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XVI, Issue 5568, 13 September 1889, Page 3

Another Moa story

Tiik Bullev Times .states that Mr Docherty, the explorer and prospector, who has been about tho West Coast Sounds, had with him on board the Hinemoa the other day, two newly hatched egg shells of the moa. Mr Docherty nearly secured a specimen of a live chicken of the gigantic dinornis. From foot-prints he had seen on the sand bank of a large creek, he lay watching for two days uu tier a flax-bush, and was startled on the afternoon of the second day by a bird, about the size of a turkey cock, passing quite near to him. He made a rush at it and caught it by the foot, but it turned on him, and while pecking madly at him kept iij) a tremendous squalling noise, this being soon answered by a deep booming craiking noise, which kept nearing him fast through the bush, and judging from tho strength of what he took to be the young chick of the moa, ho knew he would fare ill if the parent bird came upon him, unarmed as he was. Not having a moment to spare, from the fast Hearing noise, he let the young bird go and dashed into the deep water of the creek, and keeping well out of sight till he reached the opposite bank, just in time to look back and see a mass of dark feathers as large as a horse disappearing in the bush. He did not get a view of tho bird sufficient to be able to judge of its exact size, but ho was able to form an idea of this from a careful measurement of the height, where it had been feeding on the broadleaf, which was fifteen feet high to the leaves nipped and eaten.