Show H 44 4 i H 94 4 t- t I M I I M 4 H t I y t t T f fH H M f M M M M MI I I Where the Most Valuable I Egg in iii the W World Is Found I J 44 H 4 4 I t- t 4 1 t H 4 4 I 4 H. H 4 4 I 4 4 I 4 I ISo So many wonderful sl verles have been made in New Nev Zeal Zealand d the home of the extinct Moa that this British possession is entitled to be called one of the most interesting countries In the world Imagine a land about twice as large as Italy with only four native species of mammals without snakes turtles and frogs a land full of mountains which are feet high and whose tops are perpetually cov covered red with snow and ice Although less than half as large as Madagascar New Zealand's f fauna una is quite as rich in remarkable specimens Among these were a hundred years ago the great or skeletons of which have been found In Inan inan inan an excellent state of preservation In many places Even reddish-brown reddish feathers feathers feath feath- ers have been found which seem to establish the close relationship of the I extinct extin t moa and the living emu j Several years ago while some s some me gold seekers were dredging in the Molyneux liver river near Cromwell on 10 South Island a portion of f the high bank Was was removed removed re re- moved and a deposit of very fine powdery river sand was exposed I Here an unbroken moa's egg was discovered It was a much more valuable ble le treasure than the yellow metal that was being sought T The e color of the eggshell is a light yellowish brown and It is characteristically characteristically characteristically marked by pores arranged lengthwise in n irregular dots and dashes When shaken the egg rattles s 's showing that the contents content have dried or shriveled up The The egg is slightly larger than the ostrich egg Careful casts have have been m made de of the rare raie find so that a good idea could be gathered by the use of several artificial eggs of ot the size and appearance of the nest of ot one of these gigantic birds i It is believed by scientists that the extinction of the moiS was probably due to the destruction of ot their eggs by the native Maoris |