THE LATEST LIVE MOA STORY.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume II, Issue 98, 13 March 1875, Page 8

THE LATEST LIVE MOA STORY.

The following is the full, true and particular account given by the ' Lyttelton Times ' of the live Moa story that was telegraphed throughout the Colony, at the close of last week :—": — " A good deal of excitement was caused in Oxford on Wednesday last, by a report being circulated to the effect that footmarks of a large bird had been discovered on the property of Mr. Cooper, distant about five miles from Oxford. The origin of the report, and the facts of the discovery which led to the excitement referred to, are as follows : — On Wednesday morning last, a Mr Cooper, an old resident in the place, observed, in what is called his ram paddock, a good many footmarks of what appeared to be a very large bird, and considering the phenomenon peculiar, he went down to Oxford for the purpose of communicating the intelligence to some of the leading men, so that the footprints might be traced and measured, with a view of eliciting information as to the nature and description of the bird. He informed Mr Paul, chairman of the Road Board, and Mr Woodfield, storekeeper, and they immediately accompanied him to the spot indicated, and found tracks of a very large bird, which they traced for nearly three-quarters of a mile. The distance between all the footprints was from eight to nine feet, showing that this bird (if bird it was) had remarkably long lep. In its travels they found it had stepped over a creek seven feet wide, and left a footprint on each side. They found excreta or droppings, in two or three places, which strengthened their belief that the footmarks were those of a large bird. Mr Woodfield took impressions of two or three of the footprints, by running melted wax over them ; and in two of the impressions the birds toes are clearly visible. The foot is a little over six inches in length. The place where the tracks of the bird were found, is only a short distance from the Oxford forest, and it was evident that the bird was not in the habit of strayiag far from the bush. It is only about three or four years ago since a son of Captain Foster saw a large bird in the bush at Oxford, and doubtless the footprints which have now been discovered have been very recently made by the same or a similar bird. The gentlemen who have taken the trouble to carefully inquire into and examine the evidence which has been laid before them of the existence of a very large bird at Oxford, do not assert that it is a Moa, as they are not in a position to do so from want of scientific skill, but before the footprints became obliterated by the weather they are prepared to show them to any persons who may be curious enough to require ocular demonstration. Mr Woodfield came to Clmstchurch yesterday with the intention of shewing the impressions lie had taken of the footprints to Dr. Haast. Latest accounts say tlaat the supposed rara avis is a kangaroo which has taken up its abode in the bush. At a meeting of the Canterbury Philosophical Institute, that was held in Christchurch on tlie following Thursday evening, a letter was received, detailing the circumstances related as above. After the letter had been read, Di\ Powel said that at first the statement contained in the letter appeared somewhat credible, but on thinking it over, he noticed two points which at once disabused his mind of the footprints bein» those of a bird. In the first place, Mr Woodfield said there were four front toes, and he need not remind them that there was no known bird possessing that number. Then again, the footprints were said to be nine feet apart, and though a moa might stride that distance when running, neither it nor any bird they knew of could do it while wandering around a house in the manner 'said to have been done in this instance. Subsequently, however, Mr Woodfield called upon him and showed him the casts referred to in the letter. They were exceedingly well taken, and proved beyond doubt to his mind that the footprints had been made by a wallaby. Dr. Powell proceeded to give a sketch of one of the casts on the black board, and the result was a correct representation of the two hind feet of a wallaby, placed close together-, as they would be in the act of jumping over the ground."