The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1890-01-23
INDUSTRIOUS MOAS.
a Curious New Zealand Bird That
Existed Long Ago.
On stones as Big as a Mans Fist
Some Remarkable Discoveries.

Some time ago, writing from New
Zealand, gave an account of some
peculiarities in the animal life of Aus
tralasia, and alluded briefly to certain
facts concerning the moa, the extinct
giant bird, or DilaOrnis, of New Zealand.
On looking over my note books of OBJ
servations in the South Seas, find some
further items on the subject which may
be Of interest to American readers. I
was sitting in my room at the hotel in
Dunedin, just before leaving New
Zealand, when the cards of two gentle
men we're brought up, and were speedily
followed by the gentlemen themselves.
Their appearance was not friendly. One
of them carried in his hand heavy club
about three feet long, curiously and
uncomfortably knobbed at both ends,
and the other had bag, in which, as he
hook it, was heard the rattling of stones
chat were evidently of considerable size.
It soon appeared, however, that their
Intentions were entirely pacific, and that
their armament, although formidable in
appearance, was a symbol of peace rather
than Of war: As it turned out, that which
had taken for club was birds 'sdrum-
stick" and the bag of stones was the
grinding machinery from the gizzard of
fowl Of the same species, and both
we're at once given to me by the amiable
gentleman who had brought them, as
curious souvenir of my New Zealand
wanderings. first examined the bone.
u was nearly as long as my leg from
ankle to hip, hard as iron, and in perfect
preservation, save for ''nick" on one
side, apparently caused by blow from
an axe. Such, in fact, was the case, for
the bone had been discovered Just below
surface layer of leaves and thin earth
oy some men who had been clearing
brush, and who learned of it's existence
BY the resistance which it gave to the
chance stroke of hatchet. It's dimen-
slons showed that it originally belonged
% bird at least thirteen feet high, and
was pleased to see, in visits to the
museums at Dunedin and Christchurch,
(which have the largest collections of
moa remains in the world, that no thigh
zone equal in size to that which was
given to me appeared in them.
IRe gentleman who carried the bag
men emptied its contents upon the
1able. Out came small avalanche of
quartz pebbles, worn smooth and glis-
Lenlng by long attrition. We counted
tnem; there were three hundred and
slxty-six altogether, which indicated, as
! suggested, that the bird from whose
glzzard they came was of chronological
earn Of mind, and had swallowed stone
TOT each day of the year-the three hun
urea and sixty-sixth pebble Indicating
sna1 the year he was counting off was
aeap-year. This scientific fact had not
previously occurred to the gentlemen.
occasionally the lay mind advances a
snOught In scientific company which
arrows flood of illumination upon sub
lecs that were before hopelesslv OBJ
sCure. y | asked how it was known that
saese stones were once contained in the
sl14ard OF moa, since the soft parts of
sne olrd's body must necessarily have
song ago disappeared. The gentleman
:, nno had found them himself, then said
snas' although they were discovered
Apart from any bones, they occurred in
! pasty soil which would rapidly absorb
oSseous tissue. It was not to be ex-
peCseo that any bones would endure in
suen . locality. The fact that the stones
we're all found together in cluster and
= .snaeernixed with triturated vegetable
y, I1er would show their character; be-
sues which no stones of this quality
Sese ', 70 be found except in this and other
listers within twenty miles of the spot
"1ere ne discovered them. These facts
sao snelr very smooth surfaces showed
- that they had once assisted
80. - ulgestlVe processes of the moa. The
s'sles ! were of all sizes, from pea up to
"a smens nearly as large as my fist,
~ ~ weighing half a pound. / should
49, 49,, much liked to have seen the bird
sizing with this last specimen.
animation of these curious speci-
s1a was followed BY some interesting |