to be
struck at with a whip could hardly have been mistaken for a dog--the only
other animal that it could possibly be supposed to have been, and a dog
would certainly not have "disappeared in the water." This account, as well
as the footsteps, point to an aquatic animal; and if it now frequents only
the high alpine lakes and streams, this might explain why it has never yet
been captured. Hochstetter also states that it has a native
name--Waitoteke--a striking evidence of its actual existence, while a
gentleman who lived many years in the district assures me that {476} it is
universally believed in by residents in that part of New Zealand. The
actual capture of this animal and the determination of its characters and
affinities could not fail to aid us greatly in our speculations as to the
nature and origin of the New Zealand fauna.[120]

_Wingless Birds, Living and Extinct._--Almost equally valuable with
mammalia in affording indications of geographical changes are the wingless
birds for which New Zealand is so remarkable. These consist of four species
of Apteryx, called by the natives "kiwis,"--creatures which hardly look
like birds owing to the apparent absence (externally) of tail or wings and
the dense covering of hair-like feathers. They vary in size from that of a
small fowl up to that of a turkey, and have a long slightly curved bill,
somewhat resembling that of the snipe or ibis. Two species appear to be
confined to the South Island, and one to the North Island, but all are
becoming scarce, and they will no doubt gradually become extinct. These
birds are generally classed with the Struthiones or ostrich tribe, but they
form a distinct family, and in many respects differ greatly from all other
known birds.

But besides these, a number of other wingless birds, called "moas,"
inhabited New Zealand during the period of human occupation, and have only
recently become extinct. These were much larger birds than the kiwis, and
some of them were even larger than the ostrich, a specimen {477} of
_Dinornis maximus_ mounted in the British Museum in its natural attitude
being eleven feet high. They agreed, however, with the living Apteryx in
the character of the pelvis and some other parts of the skeleton, while in
their short bill and in some important structural features they resembled
the emu of Australia and the cassowaries of New Guinea.[121] No less than
eleven distinct species of these birds have now been discovered;