to but smaller and less distinct than those of Mesopteryx, species b, only reaching as far back as the anterior border of the post-orbital process, and not extending on to the lacrymal. Another skull of Anomalopteryx didiformis in Mr. Hamilton's collection has no trace of the pits; they are also absent in a skull in the Otago University Museum probably referable to D. torosus; and I have failed to find any trace of them in the following species: Dinornis robustus, Owen; Emeus crassus, Owen; Mesopteryx casuarina, Owen; two undetermined species of Mesopteryx, one of which may be M. geranoides, Owen; Pachyornis ponderosus, Hutton; Pachyornis elephantopus, Owen, and an undetermined species of the same genus. I think there can be no doubt that the presence of these pits indicates that the moas in which they occur possessed a crest of stiff feathers in the anterior frontal region. For some time after coming to this conclusion I was unable to support it by the analogy of any other bird: in most cases where a distinct crest of feathers occurs it is situated in the occipital region, over the neck muscles, so that the feathers leave no impression on the skull. But Mr. Hamilton drew my attention to the fact that the skull of the green woodpecker (Picus viridis) is pitted in a very similar manner to the moas just described. On laying back the skin of the head in a stuffed specimen of this bird I found that the skull presented paired areas of shallow pits extending over the whole frontal region, and corresponding with the bases of the stiff red feathers of the crest which project through the skin. Similar pits occur on the ulna of Eudyptes, the wing-feathers of which are not large enough to give rise to the distinct elevations of bone found in birds with functional remiges. This evidence seems to show that a subcutaneous bone acquires feather-pits when the overlying feathers are larger and stiffer than the ordinary contour-feathers, but not large enough to be called quills. The fact that certain individuals of a given species have a crest, while others show no indication of that structure, may perhaps be explained by supposing that the male alone was crested. The following extract seems to show that the Maoris had a tradition assigning a crest to the moa. Dr. G. A. Mantell, in his “Petrifactions and their Teachings,” says, on the authority of his son, the Hon. Walter Mantell, that the natives “stated that its head and tail were adorned with plumes of magnificent feathers, which were worn and much prized by their ancient chiefs as ornaments of distinction.”* Trans. N.Z. Inst., vol. iv., p. 74.