Do not let me raise a false hope—I cannot worthily describe the whole details of so great an undertaking, but I wish to place on record a few particulars of some extremely old specimens of weaving found in the cave-shelters of central Otago.

The first formed a portion of the wrappings around a skeleton found in one of the burial-caves or rock-shelters in the Strath-Taieri, on the property of Mr. William Bennett. It is but a small fragment of a coarse woven mat of partlydressed flax, resembling very coarse cocoanut matting. The dressing of the flax being very incomplete, the golden hue of the surface of the dried flax-leaf still appears in some of the thicker shreds. The warp is very thick (9mm.), and roughly plaited or intertwined with stiff white feathers (of a bird which I am not yet able to identify). Just enough of the shaft of the feather is twisted in to hold it firmly; the rest of the feather sticks out at different angles. In some of the strands, feathers of a brown weka (Ocydromus) are included. The woof which binds the coarse warp together is 2.½mm. in diameter, and the knot used is very curious (see fig. 1, Pl. LII.). Time and insects have destroyed many of the feathers, leaving only, in some parts, a fine down of a grey colour. Together with this venerable fabric was an inner wrapper made of the skins of Ocydromus sewn together. The skins were well prepared and dressed, being probably rubbed with wood-ashes, and were still covered in part with feathers of a dark variety of the weka (Ocydromus). In the bare part the pterylosis showed plainly, and, with the small apertures through which the tiny wings had been removed, completed the identification. The edges of these skins—five in number—were folded down about an eighth of an inch, and oversewn with thin twisted flax twine from the back. Over one of these seams on the front I found a narrow strip of skin, placed apparently to cover the join, very much decayed, 3in. long by ¼in. wide, but still carrying a dark-grey down, and five or six double-shafted feathers of the moa. They were much moth-eaten, and became detached from the skin during examination. The fragment is certainly somewhat microscopical, yet it has a great interest in being, so far as I am aware, the only piece of moa-skin yet recognised as occurring on a mat or covering. The fragments of these wrappers, and the feathers, are in the collection of Dr. Hocken, and I am indebted to this gentleman for the opportunity of examining the find.

II. Another flax mat from the same district has been for some years in the Otago Museum; and, as I found on examination that it is of unusual construction, I now give a brief description of it. The general appearance is not very different from that of a good kaitaka flax mat from the North

Island, the warp-strands being close together—about seven to the inch—and the woof-cables at about the usual distance. The method of working the woof is shown on Plate LII., fig. 2. Now, the most valued robes of the Maori in olden time were adorned with narrow strips of the skin of the dog with the hair attached. The strips on the borders of the mat were fastened at one end or at the middle, and hung loosely, forming a handsome fringe; those on the body of the mat were placed along a warp-strand, and were fastened down by the woof-cables, and kept in position.

In the mat under notice the upper and lower edges had had a fringe of strips of dogskin, with black, reddish-brown, and white hairs, twisted in; but the body of the mat was covered with thin carefully-cut strips, 4in., 5in., or 6in. long, of birdskins. Little indication was left of the plumage on these dried and perished strips, but Dr. Parker, the Curator of the Otago Museum, after a careful microscopical examination, pronounces the strips that he examined to have been cut from the skin of the green parroquet (Platycercus).

To give an idea of the amount of work requisite to complete this cloak (the fragment which remains measures 4ft. by 5ft.), I counted the number of strips of skin in a part where they are still pretty perfect, and I find that in 2.½in. (65mm.) there are nine parallel strips of birdskin, with eight warp-threads showing between the strips, and so well put in that they appear to run continuously from the top to the bottom of the mat. There are no “bias” seams visible these are invariably found in more modern mats, and are intended to shape it to fit the shoulders more comfortably.

The other details of structure are less important, and are probably individual peculiarities. Sewn on to the upper portion of this mat, at a place where it was much worn, was a very thick and warm flax mat, quite plain, evidently for additional warmth to the shoulders.

If the whole of this mat was covered with the green feathers of the parroquet it must have been a very beautiful object, and rivalling the feather mantles of the Hawaiians and Peruvians. I think it probable, however, that other birds may have been used, as the thickness of the strips of skin seems to vary.