Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-12-22
HUNTERS OF THE MOA
The Huge WingleSS Bird Of New
Zealand, Long Since Extinct.
WILD LIFE AT THE ANTIPODESD
An Old Maori Chiefs Tales Of His Youthful
Adventures.
how TIE GREAT BIRDS WERE HUNTED
WRITTEN FOR THE D1srATcH. ]


Alta great gathering of the MaOris on the
west coast of New Zealand. some little time
ago, was the guest Of TIE Rangihiwinui, a
celebrated fighting chief, at his pa, orvillsge,
called Putiki, on the Wanganui river.
When we arrived there we found them dis
cussing subject which 1 had long taken
the profoundest interest in. but had never be-
fore been able to getany light upon. The point
at issue was this: rhemoa, the gigantic wing
less bird of New Zealand, was q monstrous
creature, standing IL or IA feet high, on legs
as thick as q camel's with neck like a
CRATES and long, slender wiry feathers,
which made its coat more like coarse fur
than plumage. So much is-known about it;
but beyond that all is mystery. The moa
has never been taken alive since the
European occupation OF the islands,
30 years ago. Solitary settlers In
the remotest parts of the country
have from time to time reported being
startled in the night by weird and fearful
cry, so loud and shrill that its echo rang
from crag to crag, until the sound was pro-
longed into the melancholy cadence of a fog
horn. They say that, rushing out of doors,
they have witnessed in the misty moonlight
an object OF almost incredible size, towering
above the fern brake and stalking away into
the uncertain Yapors of the mountain glens
with the speed of a race horse. Dwellers In
those awful solitudes, however, are subject to
strange hallucinations, and the highest sci
entifc authorities are of the opinion that the
moa is totally extinct and has been so for
many centuries. They found their belief
mainly upon this: The Maoris have main
tanned from time immemorial q priestly
caste called Tohunga, who lay claim to all
the powers of prophecy and witchcraft, but
| whose proper business is to preserve the
genealogies and annals of the tribes.
FOR AND AGAINST.
A careful study of these curious oral
records has established the fact that they
embody the history of the people for about
800 years. Yet, though they TEEN with al
lusions to every sort of natural object, birds,
beasts, fishes. insects, plants, flowers. fruits,
there is not a single reference in them to the
moa, or to any creature answering to the de-
| seription OF the moa in the slightest degree.
1t is held, therefore, to be certain that the
most ancient Tohunga that ever bequeathed
legend to posterity, never saw or heard of
a moa.
On the other hand, it is an obvious fact
that at one time moas swarmed all over the
islands and formed the chief diet of the in
habitants, whoever they were. Innumer-
able skeletons and bones of moas have been
discovered OF late years, and in places there
are caves quite full OF them, the birds hay-
ing evidently taken refuge there by hun i
dreds, from the pursuit of man or some
other foe. Moreover, great collections of
moa bones are often come upon which have
undoubtedly been cooked in an oven; and
with them are found the burnt stones which
formed the oven, and rude weapons of the
chase and sundry utensils of primitive
cookery.
Such were the two sides of the contro-
versy as / had heard it waged in scientific
circles and as the young chiefs in Havana
Paipai's WHARF tersely and eloquently de-
scribed it for my information, before pro-
ceeding with their debate.
It was clear to me from the speeches and
from the signs OF assentor dissent among the
audience that the party who put their iaith
in the negative testimony of the Tohunga's
records were at first in large majority; but
as the debate proceeded, those who eontended
for the recent extinction of the moa-if, in
deed, it were even yet extinct-seemed to be
gaining ground considerably and likely to
sway the whole audience in the end.
Enoha te Rau, the 1ohunga, disputed
this theory, but said that moas were hunted
by gigantic race of men who preceded the |
Maoris.
A PATRIARCH'S STORY.
After the Tohunga had concluded his re- |
marks, Havana Paipai, the centenarian |
patriarch, whose memory went back more |
than 100 years, rose slowly to full height of |
his mighty figure. Reaching behind him |
he took from the reed-lined wall his taiaha.
a quarter staff of carved and polished hard |
wood, richly inlaid with pearl shell, seven
or eight feet long. Leaning on this with
wonderfully dignifed and graceful pose, he
waved his hand in royal style for the as
semblage, who had risen with him, to be
seated. When all was quiet. he held his
taiaha out at arms length, just as a stump
orator often holds roll of paper, and began
his discourse in ringing voice:
oh, my ehildrenl You. the pakehal You
Enoba te Rau. the Tohungai Listen TO my
words. You are young, but am old. The
when was young ALI Is changed. You can
not even picture to yourselves what your own
country was like so years before you were born.
You would not understand me If tried to de-
scribe 1t to You. The things that then were
have passed away and have no longer any be-
ing. When you talk about those times you
talk without any brains. You know not what |
you are saying. 1t is all dark to you. 1t is not
dark to me. see it all, when look into the
depths of my memory, just as clearly as you
see the cliffs, the trees, the sky, when you look
you all. but can tell you some things. Listen I
70 my words.
In those days, when was a youth, we Maoris
had no weapons or tools but what wei made our {
'elves of wood or stone. We lived in our forti- !
led places on the hill tops, and never came
lown to the plains except for war or for the
,hsse. All this open country that you see now
vas covered with forest or with tussock grass,
erns and shrubs twice as high as this WHARF.
The fire had never passed over it, and the I
.rowth was SO thick that no man could make
lis way through it. Each tribe had their own
racks, known only to themselves; and when
We went on war expedition we used to cut
lew tracks, so that our enemies could not tell
which way we were coming from, If by chance 9
hey had discovered our cid ones. The rivers ,
we're much higher then than they are now, and
II the lower lands for hundreds of miles on
10Th sides were often covered with water {
Where the rivers spread outon the plains there {
Fere shallow lakes or swamps. and in those r
wamps there grew trees like fern trees-you
many other trees and plants which have gone
nd left nothing behind them but peat Those
orests and swamps were full of birds and ami a
nals that are quite unknown now.
A FoUR-FooTED SEAL.
nth four feet and long tail, was quite common
hen. 1t lived on eels and fish and only came
ut at night. and it could run on land or swim
4 the water, as it pleased Then there were I
lultitudes of birds without any wings. like
iwis. hut much bigger. with long neck and l
hick legs. Some were as high as q
oy. and some were as high as q man, and some
'ere twice as high as aman, tall man-twice
8 high as am. These were the moas you have
cen talking about tonight. 1t made me laugh
hen heard 1t said that the pakehas, the Eu-