Evening star., 1900-06-02
4 BIRD OF W-GoNE DAYS
OF ANCIENT MOA RE-
CEIvED AT NAMoNRL MUSEUM.
The Valuable AcquisitiAn Comes From
New Zealand. Where the Giant
Fowl Once Dsvelt.\

Fourteen small fiberssfeathers recently re-
ceived at the National Museum form one
of the most interesting and valuable col
lections in that stoFehonse of wonders,
oddities and priceless relics of bygone days.
The bits of bird clothing came from far-ofr
New Zealand, and, according to best au-
thoHty, were once among the plumage OF
a prehistoric biped, the moa, or Dinornis
maximus, fowl supposed to have resem-
bled the ostrich in many ways. The moa
was In existence when man inhabited the
earth, but became extinct long before his
tory's record was begun 1t Is the general
belief that the moa was bird of tooth
some quality and that his reign upon earth
was brief, once this fact was discovered by
the rapidly increasing race Of men.
The feathers are the first Of the moa
bird to be brought to this country, 1t Is be-
Neved, and there are very few OF them IN
existence, SO far as Is known. The dis
covery OF feathers is recent. The bones
OF the moa have been found in some guam
uty In New Zealand and number of
museums and institutions OF natural hfs-
tory are equipped with complete skeletons
Of the giant bird. These bone frames evf-
dence bird ranging in height from ten to
twelve feet, the latter being the maximum,
OF, 5OO pounds. There are also. a number of
moa eggs in various collections, including
one in the New York Museum of Natural
History.
POssessed by National Museum.
The National Museum here boasts in the
moa line only a ,tibia, or shinbone, two
casts of an egg and the lately arrived
feathers The. acquisition of .. the latter
gives the local collection decided distinc-
ton.
There Is little or authority upon the
subject of moa feathers. The identity of
the ones received at the museum has been
definitely established, however, by the fact
OF their having been found attached to
particles of skin and bone known to have
belonged to one of the vanished birds. The
remarkable and interesting find was made
by Capt F. w. Hutton, near Earnescleugh,
resides in New Zealand and Is considered
an eminent authority upon the moa- The
feathers were sent here in exchange for
q lot of valuable fossils Owing to limited
appropriations the National Museum is able
to secure such ma terial only through dona-
ton and exchange.
Judging from the skin and bone, 1t Is sur
missed by the officials of the museum that
the feathers in their possession are from
the neck of moa. They are of very fine
vary from two to four inches in length, and
are slightly curly. The feathers have been
carefully tncased in giass.and will soon be
placed on public exhimtion.>-
A Clumsy Bird.
The moa, or dinornis, was a very clumsy
bird, according to the descriptions made up
by naturalists, and closely resembled the os-
trich In shape of body, legs, neck and
head. The moa had no such plumage as
the ostrich. however his feathers being gen.
orally short, with a tendency to curl. The
great birds could not fly and were easily
by the savages. probably
through the use of a spear. Their clumsy
made them slow of foot. and,
the moa was an exceptionally
defense!ess victim Of the pot-hunters of an
cient days.
The moa egg is about one foot in length
and contained possibly Six times as much
natter as that Of ostrich The nests are
supposed to have been made of large guam
titles of dry grass. -S:r