10 oo oo CO cti|if AMALGAMATED 1892. The time allowed for reading this Book is 14 days, after which time the Book should be returned or renewed for a similar period. Members who disregard this rule render them- *i'lves liable to a fine.' Any Member damaging or losing a periodical or iiook will be liable to pay for the same at tlm discretion of the Committee. 7^ Members are expecte^b preserve from damage, that which is provided for the benefit of all. "": T R A V E L S IN NEW ZEALAND; WITH CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE GEOGRAPHY, GEOLOGY, BOTANY, AND NATURAL HISTORY OF THAT COUNTRY. BY ERNEST DIEFFENBACH, M.D., Late Naturalist to the New Zealand Company. IN TWO VOLUMES.— VOL. II. S'W11UAMS. Kitci Kiwi, or Apterix Australis. LONDON: JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET. 1843. London : Printed by WIM.IAM CLOWES and Sows, Stamford Street. CONTENTS OF VOLUME II. PART I. PAG I CHAPTER I. The Natives of New Zealand . . 1 CHAPTER II. Diseases of the Natives .'.«!. •. • ^ CHAPTER III. Native Customs regarding Children — -Tattooing— Mar- riage . . . • 24 CHAPTER IV. The Food of the Natives — their Clothing — their Dances —Witchcraft — Modes of Burial — Ideas regarding the Soul . . , . 43 CHAPTER V. Native Villages and Houses — Division of the New Zea- land Tribes — Their Numerical Strength 68 CHAPTER VI. Origin of the New Zealanders, as shown by their Tra- ditions— Their Religious Observances — The " Tapu" 84 CHAPTER VII. The Character and Intellectual Faculties of the New Zealanders — Their Classes and Grades of Society — Property — Religion . . . 107 iv CONTENTS. CHAPTER VIII. PAG Native Modes of reckoning Times and Seasons — Dif- ferent Sorts of Land — Modes of Tillage — Warfare — Spirit of Revenge — Their Canoes — Cannibalism . 121 CHAPTER IX. How to Legislate for the Natives of New Zealand . 135 CHAPTER X. Fauna of New Zealand 177 PART II.— ON THE LANGUAGE OF THE NEW ZEALANDERS. CHAPTER I. Introductory Remarks . . . 297 CHAPTER II. Specimens of the New Zealand Language . 306 PART III. GRAMMAR . . . 325 DICTIONARY . . . 355 NEW ZEALAND. PART I. CHAPTER I. The Natives of New Zealand. BEFORE giving an account of the aboriginal inha- bitants of New Zealand, it may not be uninteresting to take a cursory view of those varieties of the human race which inhabit the numerous islands in that immense space of the great ocean which has Asia, Africa, America, and the Southern Pacific for its boundaries. In some cases these islands are of the size of continents, in others they are merely small coral formations, or of a volcanic nature. Man inhabits most of them ; the easternmost of those inhabited is r Easter Island, the westernmost Madagascar, and the southernmost the southern island of New Zealand. In spite of the impedi- ments which distance must have created, he has, even with his feeble resources, surmounted all ob- stacles in the most mysterious manner, and has traversed seas often stormy and boisterous, not fol- lowing in his labyrinthic migrations that course VOL. II. B 2 NATIVES OF [PART i. which theorists have assigned to him, either from the direction of certain periodical winds, or from their preconceived ideas deduced from the history of the human species. There are two great varieties of the human race to which these natives belong : one approaches to the black, or negro, and has therefore been called the race of the Austral negroes ; their colour is dark, their hair sometimes woolly, curly, or matted ; their skulls often show bad proportions, their lan- guage consists of various dialects, or perhaps lan- guages; the state of society with them is disor- ganised, and they hold a low grade in the human family. They occupy the following islands : — Van Diemen's Land, New Holland, New Guinea, Louisiade, New Britain, New Ireland, Salomon Islands, Santa Cruz (or Nitendi), New Hebrides, Loyalty Island, New Caledonia, and the Archi- pelago of Figi. Of some other islands they were the original possessors, but were either extermi- nated, driven into the interior, or blended with the succeeding race. This is the case in the Malayan Peninsula, in the Andaman Islands, Penang Island, and the Philippine Islands. If we divide this vast extent of sea and land by the equator, and again by the 164th degree of east longitude, most of the nations belonging to the Austral negroes will be found to live in the south- west division formed by these lines ; the other three CHAP. I.] NEW ZEALAND. 3 divisions are occupied by thev second race. It must, however, be observed, that the term Austral negro is very vague. The Papua, the Alforas, and the Haraibras are included, of which the former have been regarded as a mixed race between the true Austral negroes and the Haraforas ; and the latter as a race entirely distinct from the Aus- tral negroes. There is a great variety amongst them : a native of New South Wales, for instance, bears no similarity to a negro, as the former has smooth lank hair ; nor has the Austral negro in the New Hebrides, where they seem to be very pure, much similarity to the African negro ; and the Viti or Figi islanders, especially, stand isolated among this race by a very peculiar dialect, a well- ordered state of society, notwithstanding that there exists cannibalism, by the chastity of their women, and by the exclusive use of pottery. I must, there- fore, repeat that the term Austral negro is here only used to distinguish this class from the other great family, which I now proceed to define in a more distinct manner. This second race comprises people of a lighter- coloured skin, with dark glossy hair, and often very regular features. Although the various languages which they speak appear very different, yet an iden- tity of certain elements can be traced in them ; and, from the relation that all the languages bear to the Malayan dialect, as well as from the similarity of manners and customs, this race was generally con- B 2 4 NATIVES OF [ PART I. ceived to be Malayan, while in fact the Malays only form one subdivision of it. In general the nations belonging to this race have attained a certain de- velopment of social forms, which, indeed, with some have reached a very artificial state. This family may be subdivided into three great groups : — 1. True Polynesians. — They are distinguished by the mythos of Maui or Mawi, the religious or le- gislative custom of the " Tabu ;" also in some de- gree by the drinking of the kawa ; but, above all, by the very intimate connection of their several dialects. In their features they approach the Cau- casian race ; they are generally handsome, and of a light-brown colour. They live to the eastward of the Austral negroes : a line running from the north-east extremity of the islands of Hawaii, between the Viti and Tonga islands, and extending westward to the western- most part of the southern island of New Zealand, is the western limit of the true Polynesians. To them belong the following islands : — Archipelago of Hawaii, or the Sandwich Islands ; their northern limit. Nukahiwa, or the Marquesas. Archipelago of Pomotou, or Dangerous Islands. Archipelago of Tahiti, or the Society Islands. Archipelago of Hamoa, or the Navigators. Archipelago of Tonga, or the Friendly Islands. Fanning Island, Roggewein Island, Mangia, Sa- vage Island. CHAP. I.] NEW ZEALAND. 5 Waihou, or Easter Island ; their eastern limit. Rotu-rna ; their western limit. Chatham Islands. New Zealand ; their southern limit. 2. A second group inhabits islands to the north- ward and westward of those above enumerated. They are generally of a darker colour ; the use of the kawa is unknown to them, and is replaced by the betel and the areca. They are bolder navi- gators than the true Polynesians, and have distinct traditions. Their language, although it has many points of general relationship, forms some very dis- tinct dialects, which are called the Tagalo, Bisayo, and Kawi languages. The following islands are inhabited by them : — Kingsmill Group, Gilbert's Islands, Marshall Islands, Radak or Ralik Island, the Carolines, Ma- riannes, Pellew Islands, all the islands between Japan and Hawaii, the Archipelago of Anson and Magellan, the Philippine Islands, and the island of Java. Chamisso, the German traveller, has sketched many of these people in a very spirited and attrac- tive manner. 3. A third group comprises the true Malayans. They have a flatter and broader countenance, and inhabit Malacca, the Indian Archipelago, the Sunda Islands, the Moluccas, the coasts of Borneo, Celebes, Guilolo, and Sumatra. There are many circumstances to interest us, particularly at the present moment, in the history 6 NATIVES OF [PART i. of that division of the human family to which the inhabitants of New Zealand belong. It is true they have no written language in which their past history is preserved, and their religious notions and traditions are exceedingly confused and undefined ; their mode of life is extremely simple ; their arts, although interesting, yet rude. Their traditions, however, contain many things which would be im- portant to the historian of the human species if he could discover their true meaning ; but his chance of doing so is every day decreasing, and many ma- terials calculated to elucidate the past history of the nations of the great ocean have already been lost. Their intercourse with Europeans is so ge- neral, they make such rapid strides towards civil- ization and Christianity, and so many dangers threaten to annihilate them, that every traveller should consider it a paramount duty to become acquainted with everything regarding these island- ers, as the means of awakening an interest in the minds of the powerful and civilized, and of inducing them to afford effectual aid, protection, and instruc- tion to the weak and uncivilized. Regarding the natives of New Zealand the public has lately evinced so much interest as to induce me to believe that the following details, which I col- lected amongst the people themselves, will be accept- able. My object will be fully attained if these details tend to produce still more amicable inter- course with the native race, as well as speedy mea- CHAP. I.] NEW ZEALAND. 7 sures in regard to their preservation and improve- ment, and, above all, that forbearance on the part of the colonists, without which no efforts to pre- serve the natives and to ameliorate their condition can be successful. It appears that the native population of New Zealand was originally composed of two different races of the human family, which have retained some of their characteristic features, although in the course of time they have in all other respects become mixed, and a number of intermediate va- rieties have thence resulted. They call themselves Maori, which means indigenous, aboriginal; or Tan gat a maori, indigenous men ; in opposition to Pakea, which means a stranger, or Pakea mango mangoy a very black stranger, a negro. The men belonging to the first of these races, which is by far the most numerous, are generally tall, of muscular and well-proportioned frame, very rarely inclining to embonpoint, but varying in size as much as Europeans do. Their cranium often approaches in shape the best and most intellectual European heads. In general, however, it may be said to be of longer dimensions from the forehead to the occiput ; the forehead itself is high, but not very full in the temporal regions ; the coronal ridge is ample, no coronal suture exists ; the occiput is well developed, showing a great amount of animal propensities — not, however, in undue preponderance over the intellectual. In a skull which I possess of 8 NATIVES OF [PART i. a man of one of the interior tribes of Roturua, the frontal sinuses are much developed, the skull length- ened, the forehead somewhat reclining ; the osseous part of the nose is much depressed, and the nasal bones much more curved than in the European ; the upper maxilla protrudes much, especially the part from one incisor to the other ; the bones are thick and heavy in comparison with those of a European, and this is a character which seems to be rather general. The wormian bones are unusual ; in the skull referred to there is one at the lower angle of the parietal and its junction with the occi- pital bone. This skull is certainly one possessing all the peculiar characteristics of the race ; but the skulls of many New Zealanders in no way differ from those of Europeans. The colour of the New Zealanders is a light clear brown, varying very much in shade ; sometimes it is even lighter than that of a native of the south of France : the nose is straight and well shaped, often aquiline, the mouth generally large, and the lips in many cases more developed than those of Europeans ; the eyes are dark and full of vivacity and expression ; the hair is generally black, and lank or slightly curled ; the teeth are white, even, and regular, and last to old age : the feet and hands are well propor- tioned ; the former, being uncovered, are in a healthy development, and a native laughs at our misshaped feet. As the New Zealanders often use the second and great toes in weaving and plaiting the ropes of CHAP. I.] NEW ZEALAND. 9 the phormium, the toes are less confined than with us, and they have more command over the muscles. Their features are prominent, but regular ; the ex- pression of the face quiet and composed, showing great self-command, and this is heightened by the tattooing, which prevents the face from assuming the furrows of passion or the wrinkles of age ; their physiognomy bears no signs of ferocity, but is easy, open, and pleasing. Some of the natives have hair of a reddish or auburn colour, and a very light-co- loured skin. I may also mention here that I have seen a perfect xanthous variety in a woman, who had flaxen hair, white skin, and blue eyes ; not per- haps a half-caste, but a morbid variety, as was proved by the extreme sensibility of her visual organs, her rather pallid appearance, and her age ; on her cheeks the skin was rather rough and freckled. The na- tives who live near the hot sulphurous waters on the borders of the Lake of Roturua have the enamel of their teeth, especially of the front teeth, yellow, although this does not impair their soundness, and is the effect, probably, of the corroding qualities of the thermal waters. In a skull which I possess of a chief of that tribe, the last incisor and the canine tooth show, where they join together, a semilunar incision. This is the case in both the upper and lower maxillae, but more so in the upper. It is perhaps made with an instrument, or is occasioned by the constant use of the pipe. The second race has undoubtedly a different ori- 10 NATIVES OF [PART i. gin. This is proved by their less regularly shaped cranium, which is rather more compressed from the sides, by their full and large features, prominent cheek-bones, full lips, small ears, curly and coarse, although not woolly, hair, a much deeper colour of the skin, and a short and rather ill-proportioned rigure. This race, which is mixed in insensible gradations with the former, is far less numerous; it does not predominate in any one part of the island, nor does it occupy any particular station in a tribe, and there is no difference made between the two races amongst themselves ; but I must observe that I never met any man of consequence belonging to this race, and that, although free men, they occu- pied the lower grades ; from this we may perhaps infer the relation in which they stood to the earliest native immigrants into the country, although their traditions and legends are silent on the subject. From the existence of two races in New Zealand the conclusion might be drawn that the darker were the original proprietors of the soil, anterior to the arrival of a stock of true Polynesian origin, — that they were conquered by the latter, and nearly ex- terminated. This opinion has been entertained re- garding all Polynesian islands, but I must observe that it is very doubtful whether those differences which we observe amongst the natives of New Zea- land are really due to such a source. We find simi- lar varieties in all Polynesian islands, and it is probable that they are a consequence of the differ- CHAP. I.] NEW ZEALAND. 11 ence of castes so extensively spread amongst the inhabitants of the islands of .the great ocean. If one part of the population of New Zealand were a distinct race,- — a fact which cannot be denied as regards other islands, — it is very curious that there should be no traces of such a blending in the language, where they would have been most durable, or in the traditions, which certainly would have mentioned the conquest of one race by the other, if it had really happened. Captain Crozet, a Frenchman, who early visited New Zealand, says that he found a tribe at the North Cape darker than the rest. I could observe nothing of the kind there, although I visited all the natives. Nor are these darker-coloured individuals more common in the interior ; I should say, even less so. There is undoubtedly a .greater variety of colour and counte- nance amongst the natives of New Zealand than one would expect, — a circumstance which might prove either an early blending of different races, or a dif- ference of social conditions, which latter supposition would go far to explain the fact. All the New Zealanders speak of the Mango-Mango (blacks) of New South Wales as unconnected with and inferior to themselves, but they never make such a distinc- tion regarding their own tribes. The females are not in general so handsome as the men. Although treated by the latter with great consideration and kindness, enjoying the full e£er- cise of their free will, and possessing a remarkable 12 NATIVES OF NEW ZEALAND. [PART I. influence in all the affairs of a tribe, they are bur- dened with all the heavy work ; they have to culti- vate the fields, to carry from their distant planta- tions wood and provisions, and to bear heavy loads during their travelling excursions. Early inter- course with the other sex, which their customs per- mit, frequent abortions, and the long nursing of the children, often for three years, contribute to cause the early decay of their youth and beauty, and are prejudicial to the full development of their frame. Daughters of influential chiefs, however, who have slaves to do the work of the field, are often hand- some and attractive, and no one can deny them this latter epithet as long as they are young. This is heightened by a natural modesty and childlike naivete, which all their licentiousness of habit can- not entirely destroy. The children of both sexes, with their free, open, and confident behaviour, have always been my favourites. Brought up in the so- ciety of the adults, partaking in the councils of their fathers, their mental faculties become awakened and sharpened earlier than is the case in more civilised countries. But I must not forget to pay my tribute of praise to the old ; the old women especially are the best- natured and kindest creatures imaginable, and the traveller is sure to receive a smile and a welcome from them, if no one else shows any intention of befriending him. CHAP. II.] 13 CHAPTER II. Diseases of the Natives. BEFORE these people became acquainted with Euro- peans they were uniformly healthy, if we may trust their own accounts, and those of the earliest navi- gators who visited them. Their first visitors de- scribe them as possessed of that energy of frame and exuberance of health and animal spirits which we may always expect to find where a people are untainted by the evils which seem to be the necessary com- panions of civilization ; where they are living in a moderate, although invigorating, climate ; where they are not suffering from actual want ; and where they are forced to satisfy their necessities by the exercise of their physical and mental powers. It would have been contrary to the laws of nature for them to have been entirely free from illness ; but their diseases were those of an inflammatory and epi- demic character. Amongst the tribes of the east coast I found a tradition, that "shortly before the time of Cook a fatal epidemic broke out in the northern parts of the island, and that its victims were so numerous that they could not bury them, 14 DISEASES OF [PART L but threw them into the sea. One of the symptoms was that the patient lost all his hair. When the northern tribes had recovered, they made war on those at Tauranga, in the Bay of Plenty, and to the southward, expecting to find them so weakened by the disease as to be incapable of resistance. Epi- demics are still common in the island, but only amongst the natives, and seldom attack the Euro- peans. The disease is a bad form of influenza, a malignant catarrh of the bronchise, with congestion of the lungs, affection of the heart, accompanied by fever and great prostration of strength, so that in all cases an early supporting treatment must be adopted. In former times these epidemics may have been transient, and the patient may have usually recovered his former health; but at present they attack constitutions already weakened and corrupted, and not only prove fatal to people of all ages, but, even if the health is to a certain degree restored, it does not recover its former vigour ; chronic disorders often remain, and with them a disposition to fall victims to the slightest attack of illness of any sort. The consequence is, that the number of the abori- gines in New Zealand rapidly decreases— a strange and melancholy, but undeniable, fact! It may be that it is one of Nature's eternal laws that some races of men, like the different kinds of organic beings, plants, and animals, stand in opposition to each other; that is to say, where one race begins to spread and increase, the other, which is perhaps less CHAP. II.] THE NATIVES. 15 vigorous and less durable, dies off. This has been the result of the contact of the Caucasian race, es- pecially the Anglo-Saxon nations, with the red race of America and with the isolated inhabitants of the South Sea Islands, which latter, in all other respects, appear to be our equals in physical durability and mental capacities. The Anglo-Saxon race have been so energetic in their colonial enterprises, but, at the same time, so reckless and unsociable as regards the aborigines, that it might at once be taken for granted that the simple-minded islanders, who do not know, either as individuals or as tribes, the powerful ef- fect of the term "forward" would stand a bad chance with such competitors, and that this alone would damp their enterprise and industry, render them careless of life, and shorten their existence. At the first view this would appear probable ; and I think I shall be able to show that to a considerable degree it is actually the case ; but as, in New Zealand, the natives do not derive their support from the chase, which in the case of the inhabitants of America and New South Wales has been the great cause of their destruction, we must, I think, look deeper for the causes of such an evil in order to find the means of counteracting it to the best of our power ; and thus, if it be the design of Providence that the race should disappear, to be able to alleviate that change in the inhabitants of countries of which we have taken possession, and at least to have the satisfaction of knowing that we have done every- 16 DISEASES 01 [PART i. thing in our power to prevent injustice or to lessen the extent of it. I will now glance at the condition of the abo- rigines before the time at which Europeans came in contact with them, — a condition which we still find, with very little change, in the interior of the country. There were even then many causes to prevent an increase of the population, similar to that which would have taken place had the islands been inhabited by Europeans. The families of the natives are not large ; — early sexual intercourse pre- vents the natural fruitfulness of the women ; — infanticide exists to a certain degree ; — the custom of the inhabitants not to cultivate more produce than is necessary to satisfy their common wants, and their being deprived in very rainy seasons even of those scanty means ; — their suffering from want during the time of war, since they are usually be- sieged in their fortifications, which are at a dis- tance from their cultivated fields ; — war itself, which, although mere skirmishes, carries off a large num- ber of their strongest men, and has often proved so destructive to a tribe, that it has been broken up entirely, and has disappeared ; — the belief in witch- craft (makuta), to which many have fallen victims, both of the bewitched, from the mere force of ima- gination, and also of the supposed perpetrators of the crime, who have been murdered in revenge by the relations ; — the practice of slavery, which in no form, even the mildest, contributes to increase the CHAP. II.] THE NATIVES. 17 population; — all these causes are sufficient to ac- count for the natives not having spread in greater numbers over a country which, with the imple- ments and resources they possessed for agriculture, would have supported a much larger number of inhabitants. But neither all these causes, — nor the wars which for the last twenty-five years have agitated the whole island, and driven many tribes from their districts, who lived in continual fear of their neighbours, and dared not cultivate the land, — nor the unequal introduction of fire-arms, which gave to one tribe too great an advantage over the others, — will explain why so many diseases are now prevalent amongst them, nor why their num- bers continue to decrease after most of these causes have ceased. At present, wars, if not uncommon, are at least much less frequent and less extensive ; a feeling of security begins to exercise its due influ- ence ; murders arising from witchcraft and other superstitions are of less frequent occurrence, and are perpetrated only in the interior, where Euro- pean intelligence and customs have not yet pene- trated. My opinion on the subject is this : in former times the food of the natives consisted of sweet potatoes, taro (Caladium esculentum), fern- root (Pteris esculenta), the aromatic berries of the kahikatea (Dacrydium excelsum), the pulp of a fern- tree (Cyathea medullaris) called korau or mamako, the sweet root of the Dracaena indivisa, the heart of a palm-tree (Areca sapida), a bitter though excel- VOL. II. C 18 DISEASES OF [PART I. lent vegetable, the Sonchus oleraceus, and many different berries. Of animals they consumed fishes, dogs, the indigenous rat, crawfish, birds, and guanas. Rough mats of their own making, or dog-skins, constituted their clothing. They were hardened against the influence of the climate by the necessity of exerting themselves in procuring these provi- sions, and by their frequent predatory and travelling excursions, which produced a healthy excitement, and with it an easy digestion of even this crude diet. This state of things has been gradually changed since the Europeans arrived in the country. They have given them the common potato, a vegetable which is produced in great quantities with little labour ; and as this labour could be mostly done by the slaves or by the women, potatoes became the favourite food of the aborigines. They preferred feeding upon them to procuring what was far more wholesome, but gave them more trouble in obtain- ing. They have exchanged the surplus of their crops for blankets, which keep the skin in a con- tinual state of irritation, and harbour vermin and dirt far more than the native mats. The Euro- peans also brought them maize ; but, in order to soften the grains of it, the natives lay them in water, and allow them to ferment or decompose until they produce a sickening smell ; they are then pounded and baked in cakes, and are con- sumed in large quantities, but form a very un- CHAP. II.] THE NATIVES. 19 wholesome food, which disturbs the whole process of assimilation. Pigs were also introduced by the Europeans ; but the natives do not consume many of these animals, at least not in those places where they can sell them for blankets, muskets, powder, or lead. Their wars decreased, partly from exhaus- tion after particularly troubled times, partly from the establishment of the missions. Instead of being constantly in bodily exercise, they became readers, an occupation very much suited to their natural indolence. Their numerous dances, songs, and games were regarded as vices, and were not exchanged for others, but were given up altogether. The missionaries, while abolishing the national dances and games, might with safety have intro- duced those of England, which would soon have become great favourites with them.1 In one word, instead of an active, warlike race, they have become eaters of potatoes, neglecting their industrious pursuits in consequence of the facility of procuring food and blankets, and they 1 I only met with one case in which the missionaries acted otherwise, from a wish to contribute to the bodily welfare of their flock ; this was at Kaitaia, a mission-station to the northward of Hokianga, where they had introduced cricket, and other innocent games, which were in great favour with the natives : Kaitaia was, moreover, the only place where the missionaries seemed at all to have thought about the causes of the prevailing diseases, and the means of counteracting them ; they called the attention of the natives to their state of health, and to the fact of the decrease of their num- bers, and induced them to adopt a mode of living more nearly ap- proaching ours. c 2 20 DISEASES OF [PART I. pass their lives in eating, smoking, and sleeping. No medical man will deny that in this mode of living alone a sufficient cause is found to account for many of the diseases which prevail. Po- tatoes are unwholesome if they form the only food, and if those who live upon them do not use great bodily exercise. Salt is not in use among them. This stimulant, so necessary to the human frame, they formerly obtained in eating cockles and other shell-fish. By their present mode of diet a chyle is produced unsuited to a healthy circulation. From the exclusive use of potatoes prominent paunches begin to be common among children, which are by no means natural to the race, and are not met with among the tribes in the interior. The natives have adopted part of our food and part of our clothing, but they have not adopted the whole. Unconsciously we have brought them the germs of diseases, which accompany many of them through life, and consign them to an early grave. I have often known a sickly native to be soon re- stored to health after being clothed in a shirt, trousers, and jacket, instead of a blanket only, which he can, and does, throw off at any moment ; and when provided with a strengthening diet, with meat and a glass of wine or beer, — in fact, when he lives altogether as we do, — it is singular how well this mode of treatment generally succeeds, if no acute disease exists. CHAP. II.] THE NATIVES. 21 Their mode of living is certainly a predisposing, rather than an actual, cause of disease. The skin, having become tender, is easily susceptible to cli- matic influences and other accidental causes, or to contagious diseases of different descriptions, which find a fertile soil in a constitution thus weakened. But many of the prevailing diseases arise from bad living only. They consist in scrophulous indura- tions and ulcerations of the lymphatic glands of the neck, lymphatic swellings, inflammation of the eyes ; impurities of the blood, shown in frequent abscesses and chronic eruptions ; malignant fevers, with affections of the mucous membranes of the intestinal canal and other mucous membranes. In Roturua a party of natives set out on a travel- ling excursion : on the road they buried some boiled pork, that they might feast upon it at their return : this they did ; but they were all seized with a dan- gerous delirious fever, and some of them died. Fish dried without salt is often sent to natives in the interior by their relations living on the sea-coast. At the time when this is eaten sickness is common. I have often known gastric fevers caused exclusively by the use of rotten corn. Acute exanthematie diseases have never been observed here by me ; and it is to be hoped that the speedy introduction of vaccination may preserve the natives from the ra- vages of small-pox. If the syphilitic or gonorrhoeal contagion, which is now very frequent on the coasts, infect a frame thus constituted; the result 22 DISEASES OF [PART I. will doubtless be that many complicated forms of those diseases will appear : diseases of the hip-joint, for instance, and of the spinal column, and distor- tions of the spine in early infancy, which even now are not very rare. A disease called wai-ake-ake is very common ; it is a sort of pustulous scabies, very difficult to cure without altering the manner of living and throwing aside that most unhealthy vestment the blanket. Ringworm also is prevalent. Besides these diseases, chronic catarrhs are the most common complaints, in consequence of the natives exposing themselves to the cold and humid external air, after having been heated in their houses by a temperature of 100° Fahrenheit; many of these attacks terminate in consumption. In the interior of the country, where the natives have seldom come in contact with Europeans, and where they have preserved their own customs, sickness is far less common. This is especially the case in that exten- sive district from Taupo to Roturua, where thermal springs are found. Kind Nature has provided here one of the principal remedies against scrofulous and eruptive diseases resulting from uncleanliness. The natives are continually bathing in the sul- phurous and alkaline waters ; and in this thermal region they are a healthy race, with a very fine and elastic skin. Club-feet (e ape) are not uncommon. Amongst monstrosities I have also observed hair-lip (e ngutu riwa) ; and individuals are occasionally met with CHAP. II.] THE NATIVES. 23 who have six or more toes or fingers on a foot or hand ; the well-known chief Rauparaha, in Kapiti, is distinguished by this peculiarity : in one case several members of a family were thus formed. I never observed any case of mental disease, if I except that of a young man in Kapiti, who appeared to have been born idiotic. 24 [PART i, CHAPTER III. Native Customs regarding Children — -Tattooing— Marriage. WHILE the approach to European customs has been thus followed by a train of evils, art and civilized life have as yet done little to aggravate the pains of child-birth. The mother at the approach of labour seeks refuge — often alone — in a neighbouring wood, and in a few moments after the birth of the child goes to a running water, bathes herself and the infant, and is soon seen again occupied with her usual work amongst her associates. But until the time of baptism she is "tapu," that is, sacred, or unclean, if we prefer the Biblical translation of a Hebrew word of the same signification. Generally, however, only the wives of chiefs are subject to this rigorous custom. The mother herself cuts the umbilical cord with a shell, often too close, and in consequence umbilical ruptures are frequent ; they however disappear with the growing age. Twins, which are called mahanga, are not uncommon, but no superstitious feeling is attached to their birth, and it is regarded as a natural occurrence. Some- times the child is sacrified (roromi, infanticide), but CHAP. III.] NATIVE CUSTOMS. 25 this unnatural crime mostly occurs as an act of revenge : — broken faith, or desertion by the hus- band, the illegitimacy of the children, matrimonial dissensions, illicit connections with Europeans, slavery during pregnancy, and separation from the husband — are the principal causes. In many cases infanticide is the result of superstition of the gross- est character, and is occasioned by fear of divine anger and punishment. Rangi-tautau, the wife of a young chief at the mission settlement at Roturua, killed her first child under the following most singular circumstances : — while pregnant she was one day at the pa on the other side of the lake, where an old priestess had hung out her blanket for the purpose of airing it ; the young woman ob- served a certain insect upon the garment, — caught it, and, according to the native custom, eat it. She thought that she had not been perceived, but the old witch had seen her, and immediately poured forth the most violent imprecations and curses upon her for having eaten a louse from off her sacred gar- ment, and foretold that she would kill and eat her own child as a punishment for this sacrilegious deed. This threat she frequently repeated after the woman's confinement, and' worked so much upon her agitated mind by threats of the vengeance of Heaven, that the infatuated mother dug a hole, buried her child, and trampled it to death, unmoved by the piercing cries of the poor creature. But she afterwards deeply repented having thus violated the 26 INFANTICIDE. [PART I. most sacred law of nature ; and, perhaps, in conse- quence of this, she and her husband separated from their tribe and became the principal supporters of the missionary. They have other modes of killing the child : the head of the infant not yet fully born is compressed, and thus its existence terminated ; and sometimes abortion is effected by pressing violently upon the abdomen with a belt. Many children are still- born ; but I suspect that in almost all these cases death was caused by the mother. It makes no dif- ference whether the child is male or female ; but if the woman is desirous that her child should be of the one sex, and has boasted that she knows it will be so, on its proving of the other sex she frequently sacrifices it. The child, if suffered to survive the first moments of its existence, is generally safe ; and even under the circumstances I have mentioned, maternal love often gets the better of anger or de- spair. I have known cases, however, where in a fit of passion or jealousy the child was afterwards mur- dered by the mother or her relations. The child who is not doomed thus to perish at its birth is nursed with affection and tenderness, either by the mother o'r by some other woman of the tribe, who gives it her breast. During a great part of its infancy it is taken care of by the father, who evinces admirable patience and forbearance. It remains unclothed and exposed to the incle- mency of the weather, but often takes refuge in the CHAP. III.] NAMES. 27 warm blanket of the father or mother. It is lulled to sleep by songs which are called nga-ori-ori- tamaiti, and which happily express those feelings and sentiments that so delight us in our own nursery rhymes. In this early age there is, it appears, little mortality or sickness amongst the New Zealanders, except in those parts of the island in which the diseases I, have alluded to are preva- lent, or have become hereditary. The father or mother, or the relations, give a name to the child, taken from some quality or from some accident which happened before, or at the time of, his birth ; new names are thus con- tinually formed. It is rarely that the son bears the same appellation as his father ; the name is simple, but one man is often known by different names, and an accident may change the original one. All the names have meanings, and the num- ber of pure vowels which occur in the language, and the termination of every word with a vowel, render the names harmonious.1 The European, or 1 As specimens of native names the following may be given : — Names of Men. Names of Women. Te Kaniata Te Kanawa Teatua Amohia Tengoungou Rangi toware Tangimoana Rangitea Titore Rangiawitia Hiko Parehuia Heu-Heu Rangikataua Narongo Pareaute Rangiaiata Kari 28 BAPTISMAL [PART i. rather Oriental, names which have been given to the missionary natives undergo a transmutation adapted to their idiom, which improves their eu- phony. Unconnected with naming the child is the custom of its baptism. This remarkable cere- mony (E riri) is entirely unique : the time of its performance is not at any fixed period, but it gene- rally takes place during the first few months after the birth. It is done by the tohunga, or priest, who, with a green branch dipped in a calabash full of water, sprinkles the child and pronounces the fol- lowing incantation, which varies according to the sex of the child. The whole ceremony is very mys- terious ; few of the young people have been present during its performance ; and it seems to be a relic of a former more connected form of religious wor- ship, or perhaps of that primitive religion which is the basis of our most sacred religious rites. A very old chief and priest in Kaitaia, who had become a Christian, related to me the circumstances, and gave me the incantations. It would be necessary to be acquainted very Names of Men. Names of Women. Hamanu Aroha Tumu-Tumu Rangimahora Tawao Wakapoi E I hi Pirangi Matangi Rimginganganu Warepouri Rangipaeroa E Puni Pareugaoe Rauparalm Kaone Pane Kareao Eraraue CHAP. III.] INCANTATIONS. 29 exactly with the whole of the ceremony before attempting to decipher the sense of these incanta- tions, or to translate them. There were some dis- crepances in the accounts I received of this custom : I was told that the baptism is carried on by girls or women, who lay the child upon the mat. Per- haps the two accounts can be reconciled, as the incantation may be said alternately by the priest and by the girls in the form of a dialogue. This seems to be probable from what I can decipher of it. The whole has evidently a symbolical meaning, as indeed all customs of the kind have, even among the most savage nations. Incantation used at the Baptism of Boys. Tohia te tama nei kia riri kia ngiha, kaui otu me te nganahau ka riri ki tai no tu ka nguha ki tai no tu, Koropana ki tai no tu. E pa te karanga ki tai no tu : me te nganahau ki tai no tu : taku tama nei kia tohia : koropana ki tai no tu : pa mai te karanga ki tai no tu : ko te kawa o karaka wati : o riri ai koe : e nguha ai koe : e ngana ai koe : e toa ai koe : e karo ai koe : ko tu iho uhia : ko rongo i houhia. Incantation used at the Baptism of Girls. Tohia te tama nei kia riri : kia nguha te tama nei : kani o tu : me te nganahau : ka riri ki tai no tu : ka wakataka te watu : kania kania ma taratara : te hihi ma taratara : te hau o uenuku puha ka mama tauira o tu : ka mama tauira o Rongo. Ho : ka kai tu : ka kai Rongo : ka kai te wakariki. He haha : he hau ora : he hau ran- gatira : kei runga kei te rangi : ka puha te rangi. E iriiria koe ki te iriiri : hahau kai mau tangaengae haere ki te wahie mau tanga- engae : watu kakahu mou tangaengae. The following is an attempted translation of the incantation used at the baptism of girls ; but several 30 BAPTISMAL INCANTATIONS. [PART I. words are evidently incorrectly written, and of others I am unacquainted with the meaning. As, however, it was stated by a native to be " a piece of nonsense which he did not understand, nor anybody else, for its mystical expressions were known only to a few," it is probable that some words are very ancient and obsolete. I have not attempted to translate those parts of which I could not com- prehend the import. The sentences may be con- sidered to be pronounced alternately by the priest and a party of girls : — Girls. Tohia te tama nei. We wish this child to be immersed. Priest. Kia riri. Let it be sprinkled. Girls. Kia nguha ! te tama nei. We wish the child to live to womanhood. Priest. Kani o Tu. Dance for Atua. Girls. Me ta nganahau. Priest. Ka riri ki tai no tu. It is sprinkled in the waters of Atua. Girls. Ka wakataka te watu. The mat is spread. Priest. Kania ma taratara, Te hihi ma taratara. Dance in a circle, Thread the dance. The remainder is very obscure. Scarcely anything can be said as to the education of children, which is left almost entirely to nature. 1 Nguha signifies literally the art of tattooing on the lips of women at the age of puberty. CHAP. III.] CHILDREN. 31 They early acquire those arts which are necessary for their maintenance and preservation. Near the sea or the lakes they acquire the art of swim- ming almost before they are able to stand upright. They are not deficient in obedience to their parents, although the latter do not exercise their authority very strictly, but allow their children to do what they do themselves. Where there is no occasion for burthening them with restrictions which they do not understand, as is the case in civilised nations, there are fewer occasions for correction. They are a cheerful, affectionate set of little urchins, inde- fatigable in annoying the visitor from distant Eu- rope by their curiosity, which extends to his person, clothes, all the things he may have with him, and even to his sayings and doings, which are faithfully reported to the elders : nothing escapes the atten- tion of these youngsters. From their continual contact with the adults all their mental faculties are early developed, although they pass their youth in doing nothing, or in innocent games. Their kite (manu, or pakau pakaukau) is of a triangular form, and is very neatly made of the light leaves of a sedge ; it is held by a string made of strips of flax tied together, and its ascent is accompanied with some saying or song, such as the " He karakia pakau,"1 which I here give in a note. It is a sign 1 Piki mai piki mai kake mai ke mai ki te te hi ta hao te haii imi ka tu te rupe rupe katu kawa te kawa te kawa i numi e koe ki te kawa tua tapi ki te kawa tua rua kawaka ki ki kawaka kaka ahumai ahumai. 32 SPORTS OF CHILDREN. [PART I. of peace when it is seen flying near a village, a " tohu tangl manu" A top, called kaihora, nicely formed and managed as it is by us, supplies another of their amusements. In the game of Maiti they are great proficients. This is a game like that called cat's-cradle in Europe, and consists of very complicated and perplexing puzzles with a cord tied together at the ends. It seems to he intimately connected with their ancient traditions, and, in the different figures which the cord is made to assume whilst held on both hands, the outlines of their different varieties of houses, canoes, or figures of men and women are imagined to be represented. Maid, the Adam of New Zealand, left this amuse- ment to them as an inheritance. Another game is called tutukai, and is played with a number of pebbles. A very common sport amongst children consists in opening and shutting the fingers, and bending the arm in a certain manner, when the fol- lowing words are said, the whole of which must be completed in a single breath : — Katahi ti karna ti ka hara mai tapati tapat.o re ka rau ua ka ran ua ka noho te kiwi ka pohe wa tautau to pi to pa ka huia mai ka toko te rangi kai ana te wetu kai ana te marama o te Tiu e rere ra runga o tepe ra peka o hua kau^re turakina te arero wiwi wawa ke ke ke te manu ki taupiri. They have the following tale of a girl, whose face they fancy they can discover on the orb of the moon. Rona, a native maid, went with a calabash to fetch water. The moon hid her pale face behind dark and sweeping clouds. The maid, vexed at this CHAP. III.] TATTOOING. 33 uncourteous behaviour, pronounced a curse on the celestial orb ; but as a punishment she stumbled and fell. The moon descended, raised her from the ground, and she now resides with her. There is no separation of the sexes during child- hood, nor indeed at any later age. Although pu- berty appears earlier than with us, the difference in th£ period is not so great as it is between us and the southern nations of Europeans. Families are not large ; there are rarely more than two or three children, although I found more numerous families in the interior. One of the causes may be the habit of nursing the child for a very long time. I have seen, however, as many as ten children by the same father and mother. As soon as the boy grows up he partakes in the occu- pations of the man, and tries to get a name for warlike exploits. He then receives the tattooing, an operation which lasts some time, and is done at intervals. The Tobunga is charged with this func- tion ; but it is not every one of them that is able to perform the operation. Some of the chief mas- ters of the art are slaves, and the Waikato tribe are celebrated for their skill, in the perfect execution of the designs. The tattoo, or " moko" which is its native name, is done either with the sharp bone of a bird, or with a small chisel called ulil. The candidate for this distinction reposes his head upon the knees of the operator, who drives the chisel into the skin with his hand. Each time, the chisel VOL. n. D 34 TATTOOING. [PART I. is dipped into a pigment called narahu, which is prepared by carbonizing the resin of the kauri- pine ; and after each incision the blood is wiped of. The persons operated upon never allow the slightest expression of pain to escape them ; and after the in- flammation has passed away, the regular and clean scars appear dark. The tattooing of the lips is the most painful part of the operation. The moko is the same in all tribes, and does not form what might be called the arms of an individual, neither is it given as a reward for valiant deeds. When the natives had occasion to sign deeds in their transactions with the Europeans, they used to draw upon the document a part of their moko or some other figure as their signature ; but this seems to have been a modern invention. The moko is not an enforced ceremony ; but any one may have it done, or not, according to his wishes. Neither is it in many cases complete, but often remains unfinished. Slaves, if they have been taken when children, are not tattooed, nor is the operation completed in those cases where it has already been partly per- formed upon them. The complete moko comprises the face, the posteriors, and the anterior part of the thighs to above the knees The first lines are drawn from the wings of the nose to the chin. All the different parts of the moko have names. They are generally curved or spiral lines. Rerepi are those from the nose to the chin. Pongiangia, at the wings of the nose. CHAP. III.] TATTOOING. 35 Ngu, at the summit of the nose. Kamcai, on the chin. Ngutu, on the lips. Hupe, in the rima nasi. Koroaha> on the lower maxilla, where the mas- seter lies. Pnta-ringa, on the ears. Pae-pae, on the malar bones. Kokoti, on the cheeks. Korohaha, the lower spirals of the cheeks. Erewa, upper eyelid. Tiwana, over the brows and temples. Titiy four lines on the middle of the forehead. Rape, the posteriors. Rito, the outer lines of those spirals. Puhoro, the upper part of the thighs. The girls, as soon as they arrive at puberty, have their lips tattooed with horizontal lines ; to have red lips is a great reproach to a woman. With females in many cases the operation ceases here, but more frequently the chin is tattooed, especially in the Waikato tribe, and the space between the eye- brows, much resembling the tattoo of the modern Egyptians : in some rare cases it extends over the angles of the mouth : I have indeed seen a woman whose whole face was tattooed. Women bear, be- sides, the marks of their " tangi" or lamentations for the dead: these are incisions made on their bodies with shells, and dyed with nara/iu, often running regularly down the thorax and the extre- D 2 36 MARRIAGES. [ PART I. mities, but frequently without any regular design. The general effect of the tattoo is to give the face a rigorous and unchangeable appearance : it prevents the symptoms of age from becoming visible so early as they otherwise would do, but it is not so for- midable as it has been represented by some travel- lers. The tattoo of the lips, however, in women, gives them a livid, deadly appearance, certainly not to their advantage. Although few or no ceremonies are connected with marriage, the customs regarding married wo- men are strict and solemn. No marriage or con- nection for life takes place before the young people have attained a certain age, from eighteen to twenty for instance, with a little difference perhaps in the two sexes. It is not, however, rare that a child is promised in marriage, and then she becomes strictly " tapu" until she has attained the proper age. The suitor for a wife either succeeds by a long and con- tinued courtship, e-aru-aru, if the girl is at first unwilling to bestow her inclinations on him, or, if she is propitious, a secret pinching of the hands on both sides declares the affirmative. The latter is called ropa. If the girl is so lucky as to have two suitors who have equal pretensions, so that neither herself nor the father ventures a decision, " e-puna- rua" is ordered, or what we would call a pulling- match — a dragging of her arms by each of the suitors in opposite directions, the stronger obtaining the victory, but often with very injurious conse- CHAP. III.] POLYGAMY. 37 quences to the poor girl, whose arms in some cases sustain luxation. Polygamy is not interdicted, but is very uncommon amongst them. Here and there a chief possesses two wives, sometimes three, but most of them have only one. Adultery on the part of the wife is punished with death, of which several instances have come under my observation ; where, under the influence of Europeans and missionaries, the native laws have become less rigorous on this point, the husband exposes his wife in pur is natu- rallLus, and is then reconciled to her. In a pa near the North Cape of the island the wife of an influential chief had committed this crime. The chief, a Christian, enraged at the insult offered to him, declared he would divorce his wife. The woman, on her side, said that if he did she would hang herself, and would no doubt have kept her word. What was to be done ? The case was dis- cussed with the missionaries, and after a few days the man forgave his wife and took her back again. The adulterer often seeks safety in flight : if he is of an inferior class, or a slave, he has forfeited his life ; if he is a chief or an influential person, re- tributive justice cannot reach him : when he is of a different tribe, it becomes a cause of war. But these latter cases are very rare, as it is most frequently slaves who are guilty, and they are protected by no one. If the husband is faithless, his mistress is sometimes killed by his wife, but at all events stripped naked; and this is often done to the h us- 38 ADULTERY. [PART I. band by the relations of the wife, if his rank does not shield him. Sometimes the husband commits suicide from fear of the consequences. A curious case of this description came to my knowledge, which I will relate, as being interesting in other respects. We were accompanied from Kawia into the Waipa district by a chief of the name of Te Waro. Te Waro had been in Van Diemen's Land, had seen the working of the English laws there, and had resolved in his own mind to adopt them in his country to their full extent. When we were in Kawia, Captain Symonds, the police ma- gistrate, explained to Te Waro the new state of things in New Zealand, and especially that they ought not to take the punishment of crimes into their own hands, but give the offenders up to justice. The chief made a promise that in his tribe he would make known those laws and enforce them. When we afterwards came to Te Waro's own abode on the Waipa river, Captain Symonds settled satisfactorily some outrages which had been committed by the natives upon some European settlers ; and as soon as this was finished, the chief, calling a girl to him, stepped forward and said to us, "I promised you to acknowledge your laws, which seem to be good, and I will be true to my promise. This girl has committed a murder. Her brother had had forbidden intercourse with a slave* girl, and, when the case became known, he feared the consequences from the relations of his wife, and CHAP. III.] TREATMENT OF WOMEN. 39 shot himself. But the sister found the slave last night in the bush, and, to revenge her brother's death, killed her. Take the girl and judge her ac- cording to your laws." The girl was Te Waro's daughter! The reader may imagine the scene! Te Waro, a man of serene, highly meditative, and noble countenance, arraigning his only child of murder : his motives could not be mistaken. Before him stood his daughter, who pleaded her cause with energy and firmness, although now and then a tear started from her eye. She justly observed that she had acted according to their law, and that the girl had been the cause of her brother's death. But Te Waro would not listen to this. When the magistrate refused to send the girl to Auckland, Te Waro wished to give himself up to justice, being the nearest relation, and was with difficulty per- suaded that any such mode of retribution was con- trary to our laws. This case will show how much the natives appreciate the new order of things, and how easy it will be to reconcile them entirely to it. And yet this was a tribe far in the interior, not in constant contact with Europeans, nor influenced by missionaries. The wife is well treated by the husband ; she is his constant companion, and takes care of the plan- tations, manufactures of mats, and looks after the children. The man constructs the house, goes out fishing, and to war : but even in war the woman is often his companion, and either awaits in the neigh- 40 DIVORCE. [PART i bourhood the termination of a skirmish, or on the field itself incites the men to combat. Divorce scarcely ever takes place except in cases of adultery. Widows are " tapu " until the bones of the husband have been scraped and brought to their ultimate resting-place : the same is the case with the widower. After this ceremony they be- come "noa," or free. Widows of arikis, or here- ditary chiefs, hold for life the highest influence over the tribe, or convey this influence to the chief whom they may marry. Instances of suicide at the death of a husband, especially if he was a " great man," are not uncommon ; and hanging seems to be the favourite mode of exit. It is well known that girls, before they are mar- ried, can dispense their favours as they like — a per- mission which, as long as they lived in their primi- tive state, was perhaps not abused, as the liaison was binding, for the time being, even with Europeans. Afterwards girls became an article of trade with the chiefs in shipping places, who regarded selling their women as the easiest method of getting com- modities. But it must be admitted that parents, relations, and the females themselves, are very anx- ious to unite in legal matrimonial ties with the whites, and that licentiousness is not an inherent part of their character. If these ties are in any way iixed, they are maintained on the part of the female with affection and faithfulness. Infanticide is then uncommon. I know as many as six children of CHAP. III.] MIXED MARRIAGES. 41 such mixed marriages : there results from them one of the finest half-castes that exists, and I would add, also, an improvement on the race, at least in its physical particulars, as far as can be judged from children. They retain, however, many of their mother's peculiarities, especially in the colour and quality of hair and eyes. They are generally attached to her race, and of course better acquainted with her language than with English. I may ob- serve that their number in the islands is nearly 400. A European having a native for his wife obtains, as a matter of course, the full protection of her father ; and if the latter is a powerful chief, the son-in-law can exercise a great influence, as the natives generally take great delight in their grand- children. Connexions of this kind, even if the couple had been lawfully married, have been viewed —and, as it appears, most unwisely — with great contempt by the missionaries, who are too apt to consider the people to whom they have been sent to preach the Gospel as an inferior race of beings ; in many cases, however, the missionaries seem to have been actuated by a desire to check the influence of bad characters who may thus connect themselves with a tribe. From some cases which have come under my observation, I must remark that many of these have turned out very good marriages ; and as the average native female population seems to be greater than the male, this will furnish a 42 BLENDING OF RACES. [PART I. remedy against certain evils experienced in other colonies, where the contrary was the case, and tend to what I conceive to be very desirable — an ultimate blending of the races. CHAP. IV.] 43 CHAPTER IV. The Food of the Natives — their Clothing — their Dances — Witch- craft— Modes of Burial — Ideas regarding the Soul. I HAVE already mentioned what the prevailing food of the natives was before the Europeans introduced maize and potatoes, and still is in many parts. As there are, however, many curious circumstances connected with this subject, a few remarks may be interesting. A New Zealander has two meals a day, one in the forenoon and one just before sunset. Generally the female slaves or the elder women prepare the food, each family for themselves, or sometimes several together. The native oven, hangi or kohua, made in the well-known manner with heated stones, is situated either in the open air or in a house (te-kauta) constructed of logs' at a small distance from each other, so that the smoke may escape. The fire-wood must be taken from the bush : all parts of old houses, canoes, fences, &c., are strictly forbidden (tapu). Before the meal is cooked baskets of sedge or flax are made, in which the different parties receive their share. Generally the men and women sit apart from each other ; the tau- H FOOD. [PART i. reka-reka, or slaves, retain their share, and sit by themselves. The food must be consumed in the open air ; the dwelling-house is " tapu." Formerly pipis, or cockles, formed a great part of their food, and were obtained in large quantities on the ebb of the tide. Fish are used, either fresh or dried in the sun. They are caught with the seine, or with a navicular (canoe-shaped) piece of wood, lined on one side with a thin plate of the pawa-shell (Haliotis), in imitation of a fish, and with a hook formed from a piece of human bone, or the whole hook is formed out of human bone ; this is used without bait, and is towed at the stern of a canoe. The use of human bones for this purpose was meant to convey an in- sult and a defiance to a hostile tribe, as only the bones of enemies killed in battle are thus used. As a fly, a feather of the apterix is highly esteemed. The half-fossilized bones of the moa, a bird be- longing probably to the struthious order, but now extinct, were selected for their hardness, in ab- sence of the larger and stronger bones of quadru- peds. Flatfish and rays are transfixed with wooden spears in the shallow bays ; fish of the genera Scom- ber, Trigla, Serranus, Sparus, Balistes, Labrus, and Conger, are caught either with the seine or with hooks ; a Myxene with the hand ; and four kinds of fresh-water eels by baiting a very skilfully-con- structed funnel-shaped basket of wicker-work (pu- koro-tuna). A species of shark which at Mid- summer— that is, at Christinas — visits in countless CHAP. IV.] FISHING. 45 numbers the coasts and its inlets, is held in high estimation ; it is eaten dried. In size the seines (kupenga) used by the natives rival our largest, and are made of unprepared flax exactly in the same way and form as ours are. Large salt-water crawfish are caught by diving, in which art the women are very expert ; fresh -water crawfish, which are com- mon in the inland lakes and rivulets, are taken with bait. Birds are generally decoyed by imitating their voices, or by a decoy-bird ; the latter is the mode used to catch the kaka, or the Nestor australis. A native concealed in the forest by a cover made of branches has a long rod in his hands, which reaches to a neighbouring tree : near him sits the decoy-bird, whose cries attract the wild ones, which deliberately walk down the rod, and are caught one after the other in quick succession. Tuis, or mocking-birds, are decoyed by imitating their notes ; formerly pigeons were speared, but at present the gun is generally used. In former times the birds called kiwis (Apterix australis), and kakapos (Centropus ?), formed part of the food of the natives, but now these birds have become nearly extinct in the northern island. The kiore maori, or native rat, and the guana, were once favourite dishes, but they have met with the same fate : the native dog was formerly considered a dainty, and great numbers of them were eaten ; but the breed having undergone an almost complete mixture with the European, their use as an article of food has 46 FOOD. [PART i. been discontinued, as the European dogs are said by the natives to be perfectly unpalatable. The New Zealand dog is different from the Australian dingo ; the latter resembles in size and shape the wolf, while the former rather resembles the jackall ; its colour is reddish-brown, its ears long and straight. The native name is kuri, the general name for the dog amongst the Polynesian race ; but it is very curious that the Spanish word " pero" is also known to them. Among the delicacies at certain seasons may be mentioned the sweet and fleshy bractese of the Frey- cinetia Banksii ; they also occasionally eat the fari- naceous root of some terrestrial Orchideee, as the Thelymitra Forsteri, the Orthoceras strictum, Micro- tis Banksii ; nor do they disdain the fat grub of some coleopterous insect which they find in rotten trees. The korau, or mamako, the pulpous stem of a tree- fern (the Cyathea medullaris), is an excellent vege- table, which is in season about Christmas ; it is pre- pared by being cooked during a whole night in a native oven. The heart of the cabbage-palm (Areca sapida), which grows in the gloomy forest in hilly situations, is eaten raw. The koroi, or the berries of the kahikatea-pine, are a wholesome aromatic fruit. The fern-root (Pteris esculenta) is still fre- quently eaten, being previously roasted and beaten, but its use is rapidly decreasing. With the exception of the taro (Arum esculen- tum, or Caladium esculentum), and the dog, which, CHAP. IV.J THE SWEET POTATO. 47 according to their traditions, their forefathers brought with them when they first came to the country, all these animals and vegetables were nga mea tawito (old things, indigenous things). A change took place in their food by the introduction of the sweet pota- to, kumara (Convolvulus batata) — an introduction which is gratefully remembered and recorded in many of their songs, and has given rise to solemn religious observances. It may be asked, what was the period when the poor natives received the gift of this wholesome food, and who was their benefactor ? On the first point they know nothing ; their recol- lection attaches itself to events, but not to time : the name, however, of the donor lives in their memory. It is E Pani, or Ko Pani, the wife of E Tiki, who brought the first seeds from the island of Tawai. E Tiki was a native of the island of Tawai, which is not that whence, according to tradition, the ancestors of the New Zealanders had come. He came to New Zealand with his wife : whether in less frail vessels than they possess at present, and whether purposely or driven there by accident, tradition is silent. He was well received, but soon perceived that food was more scanty here than in the happy isle whence he came : he wished to confer a benefit upon his hosts, but knew not how to do it, until his wife, E Pani, offered to go back and fetch kumara, that the people who had received them kindly might not suffer want any longer. This she accomplished, and returned in safety to the shores of New Zealand. 48 THE SWEET POTATO. [PART I. What a tale of heroism may lie hidden under this simple tradition ! Is it a tale connected with the Polynesian race itself, or does it not rather refer to the arrival in New Zealand of the early Spanish navigators, who may have brought this valuable product from the island of Tawai, one of the Sand- wich Islands, where the plant is still most exten- sively cultivated ? There can be scarcely any doubt but that New Zealand was visited by some people antecedent to Tasman. Kaipuke is the name for ship in New Zealand. Buque is a Spanish word. Kai means, to eat, live, men. No other Polynesian nation has this word to designate a ship. Pero (dog) and poaca (pig) are also Spanish. Tawai, whence E Pani brought the kumara, is situated to the east of New Zealand according to tradition ; and the first discoverers in the great ocean, Alvaro Mendana (1595), Quiros (1608), Lemaire, and others, arrived from the eastward, as they did at Tahiti, according to the tradition of the inhabitants. Tasman did not come to New Zealand until 164*2. However this may be, the fields of kumara are strictly " tapu," and any theft from them is severely punished. The women who are engaged in their cultivation are also " tapu," They must pray, to- gether with the priests, for the success of the harvest. These women are never allowed to join the cannibal feasts ; and it is only after the kumara is dug up that they are released from the strict observances of the " tapu." They believe that kumara is the food CHAP. IV.] PIGS. 49 consumed in the "reinga," the dwelling-place of departed spirits, and it is certainly the food most esteemed among the living. They have several ways of preparing the sweet potato : it is either simply boiled, or dried slowly in a "hangi," when it has the taste of dates, or ground to powder, and baked into cakes. The calabashes (hue) were, according to their tra- ditions, the next addition to their stock of eatables. The first, from which they received the seeds, was carried by a whale, which threw it on to the shore. All the other articles of food were introduced by Europeans, — by Captain Cook and those who fol- lowed him. Captain King, when, at the end of the last century, he brought back the two natives who had been taken away by force to teach the settlers in Norfolk Island the mode of dressing flax, landed at the north end of the island, and there introduced maize, and gave the natives three pigs, which, how- ever, were mistaken by them for horses, they hav- ing some vague recollection of those which they had seen on board Captain Cook's vessels. They forthwith rode two of them to death ; and the third was -killed for having entered a bury ing-ground. A very old man, who had known Captain King, related this singular story to me. Pigs have only of late been generally introduced into many parts of the country ; and in some places where tribes have been broken up they are found wild in large numbers. The native name is poaka; and although English VOL. II. E 50 PIGS. [PART i. men think this word to be their own " pork," with a native termination (porka), I am doubtful whether the New Zealanders had not some knowledge of this animal previous to its introduction by us. In the languages of the islands in the Southern Ocean the name of the pig is bua, buacca, buaha, and pua ; and it was certainly known in those places before the arrival of the English. The New Zealand pigs are a peculiar breed, with short heads and legs and compact bodies. Water is the common drink of the New Zea- landers. They sometimes press out the juice from the drupes of the tupakihi (Coriaria sarmentosa), which is called tutu, and which they drink unfer- mented. The seeds of these berries form a very active acrid poison, and produce, when swallowed by accident, violent spasmodic affections and inflam- mations of the nerves. Food and everything connected with it being the most important objects in a native's life, we cannot feel astonished that they should be so intimately connected with his religious ideas, and that we should find traces of a sacrifice to the Supreme Being of a part of the produce of the soil or of the chase. To have known these customs more accu- rately, before they fell into disuse, would have been very interesting : now they have nearly disappeared. The following is an incantation which was uttered at the offering of a pigeon :— CHAP. IV.] INCANTATIONS. 51 He karakia mo te kuku kia ma ai te hinu kia imi ai tahuna ki te kapura ko te karakia tenei. Ka tahuna ka tahuna te ahi tapu e Tiki ka ka i te ata tapu e homai e homai e Tiki e hinu e ka ki koe he wai kuku ka ki koe he wai ruru ka ki koe he wai kaka ka ki koe he wai pitoitoi ka ki koe he wai piraka raka ka ki koe he wai tuna ko te puna i wea ko te puna i rangi riri homai kia ringia. Literal Translation. A Prayer, that the Pigeon may be pure, that it may be very fat : when the fire burns the prayer is said. When (it) is lighted, when (it) is lighted the sacred fire, oh Tiki ! when it burns on the sacred morning : oh give, oh give, oh Tiki, the fat : it burns for thee, the fat of the pigeon ; for thee, the fat of the owl; for thee, the fat of the parrot; for thee, the fat of the flycatcher; for thee, the fat of the thrush : a water of eels : where is its spring ? the spring is in heaven : sprinkle, give ! be it poured out. A prayer regarding the native rat is as follows : — He karakia kiore maori. Kia haeremai ai ki te poka kia mate ai Taumaha kirunga, taumaha kiraro ki taku matua wahine i ki ai taku kiore ma te reke taumaha taumaha Etakate po e taka ki tu hua e taka te ao e taka ki karewa i tutu ai he kiore. That connected with the calabash is— He karakia hue kia hua ai. A Prayer that the Calabash may be fruitful. He aha taku takano he turu taku kakano he rakau nui taku kakano moe mai ra taku tokoto mai ra koutou koa u Tamariki hua kiwi huahua moho te homai te ringia ki te kawekawe o pu te hue. In their dealings with Europeans they are eager for everything the latter consume, with the excep- tion of spiced and acrid articles : they have an aver- sion also to distilled spirits. With some, however, E2 52 MAT CLOTHING. [PART I. who live continually with Europeans, the drinking of spirits has already become a habit, but it is not as yet very general. Our bread is a much-desired article with them, and in the European settlements the baker receives the greatest part of their earnings. It is well known that the custom of drinking kawa, the juice of the root of Piper methisticum, prevails in many of the South-Sea Islands. The real Piper methisticum does not grow in New Zealand, but a cognate species, the Piper excelsum, which also bears the name of kawa, but is not used to prepare a drink. All their clothing was formerly made of the Phormium tenax. The mode of manufacturing it is very simple, and consists merely in intertwining perpendicular threads with others extended horizon- tally. The beauty and durability of these mats are well known, but making the most common one occupies a woman full six months, and one of the best requires a much longer time. They are of dif- ferent descriptions. E kaitaka is made of the finest flax : it is white and silk-like, with a strong black border, beautifully worked with angular designs in red, very much re- sembling some of the drawings on Mexican tombs. These mats are worn at festivals, and form the principal article of presents. When dyed black they are called waihinau. These are very beautiful and scarce. E koroai is a white mat with black strings, and CHAP. IV.] VARIETIES OF MATS. 53 a thick fringe of strings of the same colour. It is generally worn as a toga by the principal men. E wakaiwa is a white mat, with yellow, or fre- quently variegated, strings, not twisted, but rolled together, so as to form tubes, which is done by scrap- ing the flax-leaves on one side. They are worn by the women. E tahea is likewise a woman's mat, with twisted strings, two or three feet long. E hima is a white mat, with white strings at a distance from each other. E tatara is a black-stringed mat, with patches or rows of dyed wool, of which substance the natives are very covetous ; and many a red comforter or cap has been converted into these ornaments. They have, however, a red vegetable dye of their own. This is the wood and bark of the rimu-pine. E rapaki is a coarse mat, which the women wear : it covers them from the loins to the knees. E mangaika is a very thick and large mat, into which black or yellow pieces of flax are closely in- serted, and which are impervious to rain. In these the epidermis, which keeps the fibres of the flax-leaves together, is not separated; and where this is the case the mats are called koka. A good sleeping-mat is called takapau, and re- sembles our table-covers : an inferior one is called e porera. Mats are also made from pieces of dog's-skin sewn together. They are then called tahi uru. 54 VISITING COSTUME. [PART I. I am scarcely able to give any new particulars re- garding the preparation of flax. I will only observe that the introduction of blankets has greatly dimi- nished the skill of the natives in preparing it ; and that they work very little of that valuable article for the purposes of trade, although a good flax-scraper of either sex can clean as much as ten pounds weight per diem. If a party of natives are travelling, they dress themselves, just before arriving at their destination, in their best clothes. A wooden comb (heru) is used, in shape remarkably like some I have seen which were brought from North America ; the face and hands receive the unusual luxury of being washed ; and the head is ornamented with the white feathers of the albatross or gull, or, as a still greater distinction, with the esteemed tail-feathers of the uia (Neomorpha Gouldii). Sometimes the face is painted with a red ochre (kokowai), or a blue ochre (pukipoto). But this painting is used chiefly at certain feasts, at funeral ceremonies, and in their wars. The red ochre is also said to pre- vent the mosquitoes and sand-flies from tormenting the body. The hair is often greased with shark's oil, or with an oil pressed from the seeds of the titoki (Aledryon excelsum, belonging to the Sapindacese). The ears of both sexes are pierced, and this is done at an early age. The native ornaments worn in the ears are pieces of the ponamu (nephrite, or oriental jade), which are called e tara ; the mako taniwa, or CHAP. IV.] NEGLECT OF FLOWERS. 55 teeth, of the tiger-shark, which are very much esteemed ; or a tooth of a deceased husband. Some- times the opening receives the purple flower of several kinds of Metrosideros, or Clematis, or the favourite pipe. Generally speaking the natives take very little delight in flowers, which they regard as useless, and seldom use them as ornaments. They wonder how Europeans can bestow such trouble on Flora's children, being, as they say, useless for food. Around the neck both sexes generally wear a figure cut out of jade. This they call E' Tiki : it has an enormous head, very large eyes, and monstrous and disproportionate arms and legs. It is not in any way regarded as an idol, although the value they attach to it seems to be connected with some an- cient genealogical traditions, as E' Tiki is also the name of one of their great ancestors. Generally I found that they considered these figures as heir- looms in a family, but, where no such hereditary value was attached, they readily parted with them. This seems the real nature of these E' Tikis, which we find in many of the Polynesian islands under the same name, and which were considered as em- blems of their religion, as they certainly are in one sense, if we take their great veneration for the me- mory of their ancestors as constituting part of their religion. The colossal busts of Easter Island, the grotesque statues of the Sandwich and Figi Islands, are the same as the wooden carvings over a New 56 DRESSING THE HAIR. [PART I. Zealander's house, or on his sepulchral monuments — all are Tikis (E' is the article). Men for the most part either have their hair cut periodically, or wear it long and tied up on the crown of the head ; girls let it fall over the fore- head (which they do not like to have uncovered), and crop it in a straight line about an inch above the eyebrows. Married women sometimes wear it loose and flowing; sometimes they tie it up in dif- ferent shapes, according to the fashion, which is as changeable in this respect as with us. Young girls and boys always wear it short. The hair on the head of a chief is a very sacred object, and the operation of cutting it is accom- panied with certain customs connected with the " Tapu." The New Zealander would have a tolerably strong beard if he did not eradicate it as soon as it appears. This is done with a cockleshell; but the custom is not universal, and men are sometimes seen with large beards. Generally speaking, their legs, chest, and arms are less covered with hair than is the case with Europeans, and it causes them great astonish- ment to see the hairy thorax of the white man. Dances and songs are very common ; the latter are generally accompanied with mimicry. A war is commenced and concluded with a dance, in which the features are in various ways contorted. They have a game with four balls, exactly like that of the Indian jugglers, arid they accompany it with a song. CHAP. IV.] DANCES AND SONGS. 57. Another game is with one ball (poi) suspended from a string. Some songs are erotic or lyric, and are sung to a low, plaintive, uniform, but not at all disagreeable tune. A great many of their songs are licentious. In paddling, they stimulate each other to exertion by a song ; one man, standing at the head or in the hull of the canoe, sings a strophe, and the rest join in chorus. E' Waiata is a song of a joyful nature ; E' Haka, one accompanied by gestures or mimics ; E' Karakia is a prayer or an incantation, used on certain occasions, — and in saying this there is generally no modulation of the voice, but sylla- bles are lengthened and shortened, and it produces the same effect as the reading of the Talmud in syna- gogues. Most of these songs live in the memory of all, but with numerous variations ; certain karakia, or invocations, however, are less generally known, and a stranger obtains them with difficulty, as they are only handed down amongst the tohunga, or priests, from father to son. To adapt words to a certain tune, and thus to commemorate a passing event, is common in New Zealand, and has been the beginning of all national poetry. Many of these children of the moment have a long existence, and are transmitted through several generations ; but then their allusions become unintelligible, and fo- reign names, having undergone a thorough change, cannot be recognised. The only musical instrument possessed by the natives is a flute (E' Win, or Poretu) with four 58 DISEASES ATTRIBUTED [PART I. holes, made of wood : the airs produced on it are plaintive, but little modulated. The game of draughts is very common, and is called E' Mu: although not played for gambling purposes, it often gives rise to quarrels. It is some- times played differently from our game, but I am not quite sure that it was not introduced by Eu- ropeans. The New Zealander is not over-clean in his per- son, but he is very particular respecting his food ; and his dwelling also is kept in as much order as possible. The introduction of blankets and all sorts of ragged European clothing, accompanied with the parasitical flea, which, according to native accounts, only ap- peared with the Europeans, has not improved his sense of propriety or his general appearance. The rigour of the climate and the want of soap are the principal causes of this, as the natives do not cease washing and cleaning themselves when they have plenty of that invaluable article, or when the vanity of the females is in any way concerned. Diseases are generally ascribed to the action of a spirit (E' Atua), as a punishment for eating food or doing anything that is " tapu;" or forbidden : in many cases they are believed to originate in witch- craft (Makuta). The latter belief is deeply rooted, and even the Christianized natives cannot divest themselves of it. Bewitching is done by digging a hole, and invoking the spirit of him whom they want to have destroyed, which appears above the hole as CHAP. IV.] TO WITCHCRAFT. 59 a light, when a curse is pronounced over it; or during the night they go to the side of the river, and call on the spirit, which appears on the other bank. There is a district in the northern island, situated between Taupo and Hawke's Bay, called Urewera, consisting of steep and barren hills: the scattered inhabitants of this region have the re- nown of being the greatest witches in the country. They are very much feared, and have little connec- tion with the neighbouring tribes, who avoid them if possible. If they come to the coast, the natives there scarcely venture to refuse them anything, for fear of incurring their displeasure. They are said to use the saliva of the people whom they intend to bewitch; and visitors carefully conceal their spittle, to give them no opportunity of working their evil. Like our witches and sorcerers of old, they appear to be a very harmless people, and but little mixed up with the quarrels of their neigh- bours. It is a curious fact that many of the old settlers in the country have become complete con- verts to the belief in these supernatural powers. Witchcraft has been the cause of many murders ; a few days before I arrived at Aotea, on the western coast, three had been committed in consequence of people declaring on their death-bed that they had been bewitched. The police magistrate, Captain Symonds, remonstrated with them on the absurdity of such proceedings, and obtained the promise of the 60 REMEDIES FOR DISEASES. [PART I. chief that in future he would deliver up to justice all who committed these murders. It is a curious fact, which has been noticed in Tahiti, Hawaii, and other islands inhabited by the great Polyne- sian race, that their first intercourse with Eu- ropeans produces civil wars and social degradation ; but that a change of ideas is quickly introduced, and that the most ancient and deeply-rooted pre- judices soon become a subject of ridicule to the na- tives, and are abolished at once. The grey priest, or tohunga, deeply versed in all the mysteries of witchcraft and native medical treatment, gives way in his attendance on the sick to every European who pretends to a knowledge of the science of sur- gery or medicine, and derides the former credulity of his patient. As the diseases are generally ascribed to psychical causes, they are treated by means of prayers, "not however without some attendance on the body. If a chief or his wife falls sick, the most influential tohunga, or a woman who has " the odour of sanctity," attends, and continues day and night with the patient, sometimes repeating incan- tations over him, sometimes sitting before the house and praying. The following is an incantation which is said by the priest as a cure for headache. He pulls out two stalks of the Pteris esculenta, from which the fibres of the root must be removed, and, beating them together over the head of the patient, sings this chant : — CHAP. IV.] PRAYERS FOR THE SICK. 61 He Karakia tupapaku, ka ngau tona matenga e te atua ka kara- kiatia tend kakakia kia ia ki oraia. Literally — A Prayer for the Dead (Sick) when his Head aches ; to Atua this Prayer is prayed, that he (the sick) may become well. Ko matataia ko matapo i tako mata wea wea mai wea te rakaua te Atua i taka maimnga te rakaua te Atua i ta Kamai raro te kuruki te mho o te tupua kuruki te niho o te tawitu ka ti ngau kati te ngau kati ko karakiaanga tupuna a nga wananga ko akuo tenei tauira. The following is another incantation, in which there occurs an invocation to Tiki and Pani to re- store the patient to health : — Ta wiwi ta manawa ko taku manato manawa ko taku manawa heki te manawa irunga ia tawaki hoki iho te manawa i e puta ihu hoki iho kia ora tenei tangata E Tiki e Pani kia ora tenei tangata ka hoki mai tena manawa kawaia. At the same time the relations make their appear- ance in or near the house, and show their grief by weeping, in which the patient joins. Frequently the latter is carried to another house or to a neigh- bouring village, to have the continual benefit of these lamentations. But, what is more efficient, they provide the sick with better and more easily digestible food than usual — with cockles, fresh fishes, decoction of fishes, Sonchus oleraceus, or a solanum, birds, and so on. Men or women of an inferior class, if they become diseased, often go to the bush, and return when they are well again ; whilst there they chiefly employ the steam rising from herbs infused in boiling water. If there are hot-springs in the neighbourhood, they are very 02 MOURNING. [PART i. much used, and with admirable effect. The natives are better surgeons than physicians ; lirnbs shattered by a ball, or otherwise broken, I have seen carefully set, laid upon pillows, kept clean, and the pressure of clothes and the contact of the air kept off by a wicker-work contrivance. Abscesses are opened with a knife or a shell ; indurated lymphatic glands on the neck are fearlessly cut out with a razor or a common knife. Their practice of cutting up and devouring their enemies has made them pretty well acquainted with the general structure of the body : they also know very well how to detail the symp- toms of a disease, although they are unacquainted with the internal functions of the human body. When death occurs, general lamentations take place amongst the nearest relations (e tang'i), who make deep incisions in their own bodies with broken pieces of shells. The mourners either stand in an upright posture, throwing their arms backwards, and keeping them in a trembling motion ; or they squat down, enveloping their heads in the mats. These violent expressions of affection, the streaming tears, and this unbounded show of grief at the decease of the renowned warrior, or of a friend or relation, have something poetical and striking in their primitive simplicity. The old bedaub them- selves with red pigment, and cover their heads with wreaths of green leaves. The house in which the death took place becomes "tapu" until the period of the cleaning and ultimate burial of the bones, CHAP. IV.J TREATMENT OF THE DEAD. 63 which is not at any fixed time, but generally takes place during the first year, when the flesh is suffi- ciently decomposed. All the clothes and utensils of the deceased are either left in the house which he inhabited or are buried with him. The body is placed in a sort of canoe-shaped coffin among the foliage of a tree in a grove, where it remains for several months. It is then taken down ; the bones are washed and cleaned, and finally deposited in a small covered box, which is sometimes carved, and resembles a canoe ; it is elevated aboveground, on a column standing in the village, in the neighbour- hood of the houses of the surviving relations. Sometimes the bones are placed in a hollow tree in some secret spot of the wood, or in a limestone cavern, of which there are many in the island, or in some chasm of the rocks difficult of access. If the man was of great consequence, such as an ariki, or hereditary chief, a mausoleum of exquisite carved- work is erected in the centre of the village, into which the body is brought in a sitting posture, dressed in the best mats of the deceased, and orna- mented with feathers. The human figures on the monument are generally meant to represent him in whose memory it is erected, his wife, children, and ancestors ; and all the figures are designated with their names. The putting forth the tongue to an enormous extent in these carvings is the symbol of valour, courage, and defiance, and is found in almost all the native sculptures. 64 MAUSOLEUMS. [PART I. Another characteristic of these carvings is evi- dently symbolical of the vis genitrix of the male or female originals, and they are intended also to cele- brate the prowess and resources of a tribe. We can trace these emblematic meanings in the carvings throughout Polynesia and the Indian Archipelago, and even in India itself; and they are evidently among the most ancient and primitive symbolical representations, and gave rise to solemn ordinances in the religions of ancient Greece and Rome. When buried in a mausoleum, either the body is left to slow decay, emitting a horrible smell through the village, or an after-visitation takes place, at which the tohunga sings the funeral ode, or pihe, modified according to the circumstances of the death, whether in battle or by disease ;T and he 1 I give here the Pihe, as it was given to me, through the kindness of a missionary lady at Kaitaia. It differs in some points from the version communicated in Professor Lee's Grammar. Papa te watitiri Te toto roiai koe I runga nei E wano Ko ana ka na pu Wano wano wano wano Heaitu Mai toki haumie Ko riri rongo mai kaheke Ka riri Tu [Tatara te wai puna Ka nguha Tu Tea kouru Ka wewehi Tu Ko nga ngana Ka wawana Ko a pa rangi Tu atu Ko kapiti ho Raro pouri ai] Ko kapiti hono Ka taka Hokianga nui ai Te ata o te taua Ka taka te waro Te hihihiki Pipi ra u e ru koia Te rama rama Pipi ra u e ru koia Te weti te weta Kia kotikotia CHAP. IV. J SACRED PLACES. 65 afterwards removes the bones to a place in the forest, often known only to himself. It would appear that not only the clothing, but also the ornaments, implements of war and fishing, and so forth, are deposited with the dead : at least, in ex- amining some old coffins which were suspended on trees, I found fish-hooks (made of human bones, perhaps of those of a conquered enemy), and some battle-axes of Lydian stone. All these places, wahi- tapu (sacred places), as they are called generally, or papa tupapakau (a coffin for the corpse), if it is a monument, are strictly sacred ; and many a strife has arisen between Europeans and natives, from the Te uru o te ariki Hiki Hiki Pipi ra u e ru koia Hiki Hiki warawara Pihe ! Ko iai tanga roa He tapu 1 tana He tapu tumata tangaroa Homai ra E Dgaro He kino Tu He ngaro tu ki tana he iwa Wangainga He iwa Kia tai He iwa tukua ki te marae Koropana Wero wero Te kawa ki te marae Wero wero te tara homai ra Witi rua Werohia ki teia Te ika tere ku paenga Wakarewa wakarewa Kia uru Ae Aea Te tara ki a Tai Ae Aea Me kotahi manawa reka Kia uru Ae Aea Te manawa ki a Tu Ae Aea U Ae Aea Kia uru Ae Aea UAeAea Pihe! NOTE. — The lines in brackets are only sung when the dead has been killed in battle. In such case the heads of the enemies he has slain are raised into the air on spears each time the word Pihe is said by the priest, and repeated by the chorus. VOL. II. F 66 THE SOUL AND THE [PART I. former disregarding this feeling. In the centre of the island, at Taupo, I found that a custom exists — and I conclude that it has existed throughout the island— of cutting off the heads not only of their enemies, to prepare and preserve them, but also of their friends and relations, for the purpose of keep- ing them to lament over from time to time. At all funeral ceremonies the old women are generally the most violent in their grief; and some are so energetic in their " tangi," that their bodies are entirely covered with deep scars, from the incisions which they make with their broken shells, and their eyes become inflamed from an excess of crying. Man, according to the notions of the natives, is endowed with an immortal, incorporeal spirit (wairua), which at his death departs from the body, and goes, as a falling star, to the reinga, or nether world, the entrance to which is down the face of a rocky cliff at the Cape Maria van Diemen. An ancient pohutukaua-tree (Metrosideros tomentosa) stands there, upon the branches of which the spirit descends. The natives hold this place in great awe and veneration; and even Christian natives who accompanied me would not go near it. But the spell has been partially broken by a missionary cut- ting off the branch on which the spirit was supposed to alight. In the interior the natives still adhere to their ancient notions. The reinga is the common dwelling-place of the spirits, but it is not the only one. Before the spirit of an ariki, or hereditary CHAP. IV.] WORLD OF SPIRITS. 67 chief, descends into it, it goes into Heaven (Taki- wana) ; there his left eye remains, and becomes a star. In the reinga the spirits live as men do on earth ; but they can leave it, and influence the ac- tions and the fate of those who are alive, communi- cating with them through the medium of the to- hunga, who hears them. Their voice has a whistling sound, which others besides the tohunga sometimes perceive, when they walk out in the dark. If tra- vellers come into the neighbourhood of the reinga, they throw down a piece of fern, or of the nikau- palm (Areca), to let the spirits know whether the wanderers are inhabitants of the open land or of the forest. The wairua often speak in dreams to the priest or to the ariki, who announces their communications in the morning, and these often lead to important resolutions. The belief in dreams is universal, and the commands given in that way are implicitly obeyed, and often influence their most important actions. F 2 68 [PART i. CHAPTER V. Native Villages and Houses — Division of the New Zealand Tribes ; their numerical amount. THE houses of the natives are generally collected into villages, which are either fortified by walls and trenches, or with high double or treble fences. Such a place is called E Pa, and is inhabited chiefly in disturbed times, when the whole tribe assembles in it. Being generally situated on the top of a hill, the pas are deficient in water, which the slaves have to fetch from below, at the risk of being shot by the besieging party. Within these walls are the houses, of which several, belonging to one family, stand in an enclosure. The largest are often forty feet by twenty ; they have a portico, a sliding door at the gable end about a foot and a half square, and a small opening as a window on one or both sides of the door. This house serves for the sleeping-room of the members of a family, and they occupy it dur- ing bad weather, and it is here that the women manufacture their mats. The house is not divided into apartments : the sleeping-places are ranged on CHAP. V.] NATIVE HOUSES. 69 both sides along the walls ; from the door to the side opposite is a passage, shut in by boards. One or two columns support the roof inside : these are carved with grotesque figures. The roof is lofty, but the side-walls are little more than two feet high. The boards forming the framework of the house are cut out from a tree by means of a simple adze, as the saw is not yet much in use ; and it is curious to see the extreme correctness of their eye in doing this, although the work is very tedious. The ceiling over the portico is carved, and at the «nd of the ridge-pole stands a human iigure — often that of the proprietor, but monstrously and purposely distorted. Sometimes that of his wife is carved out of the beam which supports the ridge-pole. The two door-posts are likewise carved. A real native house, of which there are many in the interior, is very solid, and great skill and taste are displayed in filling up the spaces between the frame-poles. This is done with reeds, which they have variegated by blackening the outside spirally, or with the cannulated stalks of a fern, which are kept together by dyed pieces of flax. The ridge-pole is a flat board, painted red and black in different arabesques, generally spirals. The same is the case with the boards which support the roofs. The outside is also sometimes boarded, or the walls are formed of thick and tight bundles of raupo-leaves (a Typha). In the middle of the house a fire is lighted in the evening, which fills it with smoke; sometimes a 70 NATIVE HOUSES. [PART I. times a lamp is burnt, for which purpose they use shark or whale oil in a pawa (Haliotis), with a wick of the native flax. Each member of the family lies down on a mat, and goes to sleep in the dress that he or she wore during the day, but this is often thrown off if the heat becomes excessive. The smoke and heat render it very disagreeable for a European to sleep in these houses ; besides, the natives are so com- municative, that on the arrival of a stranger talking goes on all night. Inferior persons and slaves range themselves around the fire in the kitchen, but more frequently they all sleep in the same house. The kitchen (te-kauta) is a separate building ; it is con- structed with high walls and gables. The firewood is kept in it, but it is used as a cooking-place only in bad weather. A third sort of structure are the provision-houses (pataka), which are built on poles to prevent rats from entering them. The sweet potatoes are kept in a place by themselves. Similar huts preserve the seed during winter, but these are mostly erected in the plantations. The wahi-tapu, or burying-place, of a beloved child or relation, stands also in the enclosure ; to this enclosure favourite pigs and dogs have access, and sometimes a few bushes of the Phormium tenax are cultivated in it for daily use. The different families are thus separated in their fenced yards, which are, however, connected by stiles leading from one to the other, and by paths be- tween the fences. Near the coast these substantial CHAP. V.] NATIVE ARCHITECTURE. 71 native houses have been replaced by huts, formed in the European fashion, and made of the raupo, a sort of bulrush ; little, however, has been gained by this change, either in appearance or real conve- nience. The native architecture might be very much improved upon, without altering either the material or the peculiar style. I saw a house in Rotu-rua which the natives had built for Mr. Chapman, the missionary ; it was high, had glass windows, and several side apartments branching off from the middle room ; it was built in the native style with these improvements, and I thought this was setting a good example, in improving, not sup- planting, the industry of the natives. This house was in strength and beauty equal to any in New Zealand on the European plan ; and, indeed, the natives are excellent architects in any style, and execute designs, when once clearly explained to them, without any future assistance, and with the most simple implements. They have built several churches — some of them very large structures — en- tirely by themselves, without the aid of any Eu- ropean. The New Zealander has a fixed habitation, al- though he $oes not always reside in the same place. In his plantations, which are often at great dis- tances from each other, or from the principal village, he possesses a house, which he inhabits when he goes there in the planting season. Part of his time he spends on visits to distant relations, or to 72 THIRST FOR KNOWLEDGE. [PART I. European settlements on the coast, either for the purpose of trading or to see what the pakea (stranger) is doing. I have scarcely ever been at a settlement where I did not meet visitors from distant parts of the country. These occasional visits are probably as useful to the natives, and tend as much to their real improvement, as a constant re- sidence with the white people would do : they have an insatiable curiosity to know and see every- thing that is going on, and an equal eagerness to communicate it to others. In this manner news and information of every description make their tour through the island, carried from tribe to tribe by oral communication. They are excellent ob- servers ; they soon discover the weak points of body or mind in others ; and although they regard us as vastly superior to themselves, they soon become sensible of the evils our civilization carries with it. The points they find the most difficulty in under- standing are the different grades into which our society is divided, and the poverty and misery under which some of our classes labour, while others seem to lead a life of abundance and idleness. It is well known that the inhabitants of New Zealand are divided into numerous tribes, who live dispersed over the country, both on the coast and in the interior ; and, indeed, almost every powerful family has its own designation. These tribes are apportioned into the following large divisions :— I. Rarewa, who live between the North Cape CHAP. V.] NATIVE TRIBES. 73 and the 35th degree of south latitude. They have broken up, taken as slaves, or intermixed with, the tribe of the Haupouri, a once numerous and flourish- ing people, who had their principal pas on the northern coast, and from the North Cape to Pa- renga-renga, and in Kaitaia. In all these places trenches and walls remain on the tops of high hills, which are now deserted. When the Haupouri were conquered, a few, about thirty in number, went to Manawatawi, or the Three Kings' Islands, where they now live ; and I found a family of them, con- sisting of six persons, at Cape Maria van Diemen. At the end of 1840 about sixty of this tribe re- turned to Pa-renga-renga, their old territory, with the intention of again occupying the land of their forefathers. Pane-kareao, the chief of the Rarewa in Kaitaia, did not object to this ; but commissioned me to tell them that they must not sell any land, as it belonged to him. About forty of the Hau- pouri live at Houhoura, or Mount Carmel ; the rest at Kaitaia, along the western coast from Hokianga to the northward, on the A wa-roa, a river which dis- charges itself into Rangaunu, and also in Lauriston Bay at Oruru, intermixed with the Rarewa. The principal village of the latter is Kaitaia, where there is a mission-station, which was established eight years ago. The greater number of these na- tives are Christians, with the exception of some smaller tribes. Although the causes of disease prevailing on the coast do not exist here, as there 74 NATIVE TRIBES. [PART I. is not much shipping nor a continued intercourse with Europeans higher up than the Bay of Islands, yet I found much sickness prevalent, which the more convinced me of the justness of my supposi- tions respecting the causes of the general decay of health throughout the island. The united Rarewa and Haupouri tribes comprise at least 2000 fighting men ; this number I ascertained from those I found congregated in the church at Kaitaia, and also whilst I was visiting all their different settlements. The women, children, and old men, I estimate throughout New Zealand as three-fourths of the whole population ; 8000 would therefore be the amount of the whole tribe. II. Nga-pui, comprising the tribes at the Bay of Islands and Hokianga, those at the latter place being called Nga-te-poa. They number 3000 men capable of bearing arms. Their principal settle- ments are at Wangaroa, in Waimate between the Bay of Islands and Hokianga, on the Kawa-kawa in the Bay of Islands, and at Hokianga itself, Their spiritual welfare is comparatively well pro- vided for. There are seven church missionary sta- tions : Tepuna, Keri-keri, Wangaroa, Paihia, Wai- mate, Kororarika, Waikeri ; there is a Wesley an station at Hokianga, and three Roman Catholic priests are stationed at Wangaroa, Kororareka, and Hokianga respectively. There are thus 12,000 people under the spiritual guidance of thirteen mis- sionaries, each of whom has therefore rather a small CHAP. V.] NATIVE TRIBES. 75 flock. The Church missionaries in the Bay of Islands possess large properties in these districts, which is perhaps the reason that they have not long ago gone into the interior, where they would have been far more usefully employed than in the Bay of Islands, which is principally a shipping- place. Some of the stations occupied by them are nearly deserted by the natives, and they have there- fore no congregations, unless they choose, like St. Antonio, to preach to the fishes. III. Nga-te-whatua, a tribe occupying Kaipara and Waitemata, in the Gulf of Hauraki and Manu- kao. These people have been most unfortunate during the last twenty years, as their whole number has dwindled down to about 800. They were en- closed between the Waikato and Nga-pui, both of which tribes were their enemies, and dispersed them in all directions ; and it is only lately that they have returned, and claimed as their own a part of' their original territory. In many places their ancient pas are still standing, which even in the recollection of the present generation had been very thickly peopled. There is a Wesley an mission- station at Kaipara for this tribe. IV. Nga-te-paoa, comprising the Nga-te-Maru, the Nga-te-Tamatera, and the Nga-te-Wanaunga. They decreased much during the wars with the Nga-pui and their other neighbours, but still amount to 5000. They live at the Waiho, or Thames, at the Piako, at Coromandel Harbour, and a small divi- 76 NATIVE TRIBES. [PART I. sion of them at the island of Waiheke. There are mission-stations at Puriri and Maraetai in the Gulf of Hauraki. V. By far the largest tribe is that of the Wai- kato. They comprise eighteen subdivisions. a. ATga-te-menio-potu, living in Rangitoto and on the river Mokau, b. Ngate-pakura, on the river Waikato. c. Nga-te-hinitu, in Otawao, at the river Waipa. d. Nga-te-ruru, at the Waipa c. Nga-te-mahuta in Manukao. f. Nga-te-toata, Manukao and Waikato. g. Nga-te-hikairo, in Aotea on the western coast. h. Nga-te-kinohaku, at the Waikato. 2. Tungaunga, at the Waikato. k. Nga-te-hauwa, at Mata-mata, ninety miles up the valley of the Thames. /. Nga-te-tipa, at the Waikato. m. Nga-te-tohinga, at the Waikato. n. Nga-te-mahanga, at the Waikato. o. Nga-te-puiawa, at the Waikato. p. Nga-te-mariu, at the Waikato. q. Nga-te-korokiu, at Maunga-tautari, near the river Waikato. r. Tetaou, at Mata-mata. .9. Nga-te-tamoa, at the Waikato. These are the tribes which have most preserved their original vigour, and, I may add, original virtues, notwithstanding that their customs have been soft- CHAP. V.] NATIVE TRIBES. 77 ened down by the influence of missionaries and other Europeans. They occupy by far the greater part of New Zealand, and claim, besides, by conquest, all the land as far as Taranaki on the western coast, from which they drove numerous tribes into the country on both sides of Cook's Straits, and only a few stragglers of the latter remained near the Sugarloaf Islands. The villages on the Waipa are very numerously inhabited, each village containing from 300 to 400 people. The Waikato tribes can col- lectively bring 6000 men into the field, and the whole population amounts at least to 24,000, if not more ; as in these interior tribes the average number of two children to a family is scarcely sufficiently high. Amongst the Waikato tribes several mission- stations have been established; at Manukao, at Marae-nui, at the mouth of the Waikato, and at Otawao, are Church missionary stations ; at Wain- garoa, Aotea, and Kawia, are Wesleyan stations. The number of natives who have become Christians daily increases, although many tribes have opposed altogether the introduction of the new doctrine. VI. Nga-te-awa. There are two large divisions of the Nga^te-awa, one occupying both sides of Cook's Straits, from Taranaki to Port Nicholson, and from Cape Farewell to Cloudy Bay in the middle island ; the other living on the east coast of the northern island. Although these two divi- sions are situated at a great distance from each other, and there is little communication between 78 NATIVE TRIBES. [PART I. them, they nevertheless acknowledge one com- mon origin, as the Taranaki Nga-te-awa have a tradition that they are descended from those on the east coast, and that they emigrated to the westward. The first portion is subdivided into a great many different families : — a. Nga-te-toa. This numerous and powerful tribe formerly lived in Waingaroa and Kawia, on the western coast, and the Europeans call them the Kawia tribe. Their leader, Rauparaha, is greatly renowned throughout the island for his talents and valour. Rauparaha yielded to the Waikato, and went to live in Kapiti, or Entry Island ; others of this tribe live in Rangitoto, or D'Urville's Island, in the Admiralty Islands, on the Oieri or Pylorus river, and in Mana and Cloudy Bay. b. Nga-te-tama and Nga-te-motunga. They for- merly lived between Mokau and Mount Egmont ; at present most of them live in the Chatham Islands, and only a few at Port Nicholson. c. Pukatapu, in Wanganui, near Cape Farewell, in Queen Charlotte's Sound, and Port Nicholson. The whole of these tribes number about 6000 souls. The Nga-te-awa, on the eastern coast, live at Tauranga, in Ohiwa, Matata, Opotiki, and Maraenui. Their number amounts to about 8600. There are mission-stations at Tauranga, Opotiki, Waikanahi, and Wanganui, in Cook's Straits ; the CHAP. V.] NATIVE TRIBES. 79 Wesleyans have stations at Cloudy Bay and Tara- naki. VII. Nga-te-Wakaua. This tribe is divided into — a. Nga-te-pikiao, living at Muketu and Wakatane, on the east coast. b. Nga-te-te-rangita, on the inland lake of Ro- torua. c. Ta-hourangi, on the lake of Terawera, still farther inland. The number of this tribe is 10,000. They have still their old native customs and warlike habits ; and the mission-station at Rotu-rua has made less progress than any other station in the country : this results from the character of the tribe, not from any want of zeal or ability on the part of the excellent man who resides there. These natives offer the best study of the native character as it was some few years ago. VIII. Nga-te-tuaretoa. These people live on the left shore of the river Waikato, below the point where it issues from Lake Taupo, at that lake itself, at the lake of Rotu-aire, and at the foot of the volcanic chain of the Tongariro. The tribes which are living at the Taupo lake are called the Nga-te-tu-Runiakina, Nga-te-kurawiu, Nga-te-Pehi, and Nga-te-roinangi. There are about 800 men capable of bearing arms, and 3200 souls. They are at enmity with the tribe at Wanganui, and fought with them twice during the time I was in New Zealand, losing each time nearly fifty men. 80 NATIVE TRIBES. [PART I. IX. The Nga-te-raukaua, in Otaki, about twenty miles to the northward of Kapiti, at the rivers Manawatu, Rangitiki, and Waitotara, all of which discharge themselves into Cook's Straits. They are related to the tribe at Wanganui, above mentioned, and their number is about 600. They are on bad terms with the Nga-te-awa, who are settled at Waikanahi, opposite Entry Island, and in 1839 I witnessed a battle in which about 150 men were killed on each side. The Nga-te-raukaua are an interior tribe, and lived formerly on the upper part of the river Waikato. The Waikato tribes drove them away, and they settled in Cook's Straits. At the same time the Nga-te-awa were driven to the southward, and each disputed the advance of the other. In the interior I saw some of the old pas of the Nga-te-raukaua, and the figure of a human head, roughly cut out of a tufacious stone, was pointed out to me as a memorial to their principal chief, who was killed there. At present the most intimate connexion exists between them and the Nga-te-toa, of whom Rauparaha is the head, and who seems to intrigue with them against the rest of the Nga-te-awa. X. Nga-te-kahuhunu. This is a very numerous tribe, inhabiting the east coast from above Waiapu, or East Cape, to Hawke's Bay, and is subdivided into smaller tribes : I do not think its number is less than 36,000, as the east coast swarms with natives. They formerly lived as far down as Port CHAP. V.J NATIVE TRIBES. 81 Nicholson, but were driven thence by the Nga-te- awa, with whom, however, they have lately made a peace, which is likely to last. There is only one mission-station — at Turanga ; but the natives are a very industrious people, and rapidly progressing in civilization. XL and XII. The Rangitani and Nga-haitao. These were the tribes which Captain Cook met at Queen Charlotte's Sound. To judge from the re- mains of their pas, they must have been very numer- ous, and great slaughter must have taken place when the Nga-te-awa, under Tu-pahi and Rauparaha, conquered them. The only remains of the tribe are some slaves at the Oieri or Pylorus river, and a small independent tribe at Otago, on the eastern coast of the middle island, which still musters about 300 fighting men, and their number may amount to 1200 : they are in a very forward state of civilization. There are no natives besides these in the middle island, and none in the Southern, or Stewart's Island, with the exception of some brought there from other parts, and living with the whalers. In this census I do not pretend to anything like accuracy; but I have visited nearly all the tribes myself, and if, as I think is the case, the data which I obtained of the number of fighting men and the average of the rest of the population are to be relied on, my estimate is entitled to some credit. When I had seen only the coasts, and compared what I saw with the exaggerated estimates of some navi- VOL. II. G 82 NATIVE TRIBES, [PART I. gators, I was inclined to place the population of the islands at a much lower amount than that which I have here given ; but the fact is, the natives live dispersed, and the spirit of separation of tribes and families is one of the characteristic features of these people. The traveller in the interior will find many small tribes, of which he hears nothing on the coast, and which are scarcely known even to the missionaries. On the other hand, an approximate account of the population is easier to be taken in New Zealand than in other countries inhabited by primitive tribes, as the natives here are altogether a settled and agri- cultural people. CHAP. V.] NATIVE TRIBES. TABLE of the Tribes and Population of New Zealand. Names. Habitat. Population. 1 Rarewa . . North Cape to 35° 8,000 S. lat. 2 Nga-pui . . '• . f Wangaroa, Bay of 12,000 Islands, Hokianga. 3 Nga-te-whatua . Kaipara, Manukao, 800 Waitemata. 4 Nga-te-paoa . Gulf of Hauraki . 5,000 5 Waikato . . Manukao, Aotea, 24,000 Waingaroa, Kawia, Waipa, Waikato, Mata-mata,Mokau, Maunga Tautare. 6* Nga-te-awa (a) . Cook's Straits . . 5,490 Nga-te-awa (6) . East Coast . . . 8,600 7 Nga-te-Wakaua, Mukeiu, Rotu-rua, 10,000 Terawera, Waka- tane. 8 Nga-te-tuaretoa . Taupo .... 3,200 9 Nga-te-Raukaua. Otakki, Manawatu. 600 lot Nga-te-kahuhunu. East Coast, Turan- 36,000 ga, Hauriri in Hawke's Bay. 11 Rangitane . . ) Middle Island, es- 1,200 12 Nga-haitao . . j pecially at Otago, Total . ., 114,890 * In this number are included the Nga-te-rua-nui, the Nga-te-apa, and the Nga-te-tahi, which might also be regarded as distinct tribes, although they are now more or less mixed with the Nga-te-awa in Cook's Straits, where they live. f This tribe has a great number of subdivisions. 84 [PART i. CHAPTER VI. Origin of the New Zealanders, as shown by their Traditions — Their religious Observances — The "Tapu." IN discussing the deeply interesting question, what was the reason of a nation of common origin being divided into such numerous clans, opposing each other with so much hatred and envy, we might, perhaps, find the clue in events long passed by, and connected with the history of the earliest immi- gration of this race into the country. The little which can be gathered from their traditions, where the dim historical truth is almost hidden by the clouds of fable, and where human beings appear as demigods in the obscurity of the past, excites only regret that those Europeans who have lived so long in the country, and ought to be thoroughly versed in the language, have not taken more interest in the subject, and collected long ago materials for a his- tory of this race, which in a very short period must be buried in oblivion. What the fossils are to the naturalist, in regard to the changes which have continually been going on in the animal and vege- table productions of these islands of the Pacific, CHAP. VI.] TRADITIONS OF ORIGIN. 85 that should the traditions and language be to the historian as regards the changes of their inhabitants. Not being preserved to the world by monuments constructed of lasting materials, nor by the art of writing and printing, it is only in their evanescent tales, and in their songs, that a slender clue is offered by which to penetrate into their past history. Although these traditions have neither the literary nor historical value of those of the northern na- tions, the mythology of which is grander, and the events which they commemorate more striking, yet, in an inferior degree, that might be said of the traditions of the Polynesians which Tacitus has written of the ancient Germans : " Celebrant car- minibus antiquis (quod unum apud illos memorise et annalium genus est)," etc. Now, these traditions have handed down to us the following facts : — Before the arrival of the present inhabitants there were no men in the land, and it was covered with forest. Three canoes then came from a distant land, situated to the eastward, the names of which canoes were Arawa, Kotahi-nui, and Matatua. They contained Te-tupuna or Te-kau-matua (ancestors). In the Arawa were the ancestors of the Nga-pui and of the Rarewa, who sat at the head, the Nga- te-wakaua behind them, and the Nga-te-roinangi at the stern. It is a custom to the present day that those engaged in an important enterprise of any kind, whether in peace or war, are "tapu;" 86 TRADITIONS. [PART I. they can neither smoke nor eat anything but the food indigenous to the country, nor can they have connexion with women. If these rules are trans- gressed, they are punished by the gods, who frus- trate their object. Thus it happened in this case. In the middle of the canoe were the women, and a man whose name was Tamate-kapua : this latter was guilty of adultery with the wife of a Nga-pui. The canoe stopped, and only pursued its course after they had reconciled the divine anger by an imprecation and by the punishment of the offender. This imprecation is still preserved. The words " No te uru o te Arawa koe," meaning you belong to the Arawa — that is, you are a cheat and a liar — are pro- verbial. They arrived at New Zealand : the Nga- pui landed in the Bay of Islands ; the Rarewa in Oruru, in Lauriston Bay ; the Nga-te-wakaua and the Nga-te-roinangi at Muketu, in the Bay of Plenty, whence the former settled at Rotu-rua, and the latter went into the interior to the Taupo lake : these were the forefathers of their respective tribes. May not the incident above mentioned have sown the seed of the hostilities in which the inhabitants of the north and those of the south have been engaged from time immemorial ? The second canoe, Kotahi-nui, landed on the western coast in Kawia, and its crew were the an- cestors of the numerous tribes of the Waikato. A piece of the canoe is asserted to be still preserved ; that is to say, it became stone, and is to be seen near CHAP. VI.] TRADITIONS. 87 the northern head of Kawia Harbour. It is a large piece of limestone rock, cropping out upright from the sandy downs which surround it. Limestone rock occurs in that harbour, but on the other side ; and it is not impossible that the mass of stone was actually put here by them as a memorial of their arrival. The third canoe, Matatua, brought the Nga-te- awa, who landed in Wakatane, on the eastern coast, and in the course of time a branch of them went to Taranaki. Thus we are led to consider the numerous tribes in the island "as in the first instance derived from five. When they spread farther, the founder of a new tribe gave his name to it, and it was called Nga (the genitive case plural of the article), adding te-tangata, the men of this or that chief. Tradition says that these canoes came from the eastward, from the island of Hawaiki. The taro and the dogs were the only things they brought with them which were not before known on the island. It is expressly stated that the Kotahi-nui, which had to go to the western coast, doubled the North Cape. According to another tale, the natives of Hawaiki had four eyes, but nothing else regarding them has been preserved. I have noticed already that at a subsequent period the Kumara was brought to them by E Pani from 88 TRADITIONS. [PART I, the island of Tawai. E Tiki, her husband, was a stranger to the New Zealanders, although of the same colour and language. We cannot fail to recognise, in the names Ha- waiki and Tawai, the Sandwich Islands, Hawaii and Tauai. One of the differences between the dia- lect of New Zealand and that of the Sandwich Islands is, that in the latter, as well as in the dia- lect of Tahiti, fewer consonants are used : the Arii of the Sandwich Islands becomes Ariki in New Zealand; Ranakira becomes Rangatira; Tanata be- comes Tangata; and in the same manner Hawaii has become Hawaiki. The u and w are in all Poly- nesian languages of an equal value, the pronuncia- tion being a sound intermediate between both, and there is no difference therefore in sound between Tauai and Tawai. But there is still better evidence for the assertion that the Sandwich Islanders must be regarded as the last stock from which the New Zealanders have sprung. There are traditions which lead us back to still more ancient times, when Maui and his brothers fished up the island of New Zealand. Maui is not a god ; although tradi- tion gives him supernatural powers, he is distinctly stated to be a n an. There were four brothers — Maui mua, .Maui roto, Maui waho, Maui tiki tiki o te Rangi; which literally means — Maui (who was) formerly, Maui (who is) within, Maui (who is) without, Maui tiki tiki, from heaven. CHAP. VI.] TRADITIONS. 89 Their parents are not known, nor the land whence they came. Maui mua is the Tuakana, or elder bro- ther. He went out one day with the youngest of his brothers, Maui tiki tiki o te Rangi, or Kotiki, to fish ; and as bait was wanting, the brother offered his ear, and both together they hauled up New Zealand. There is a mountain near the east coast, called Hiko rangi (literally, Heaven's Tail), which is said to be the fish-hook of Maui, and the island itself was the " begotten of Maui," " Te Ahi na Maui," which name is sometimes given to the northern island, although very little known amongst the natives themselves. This myth, which is perhaps a geological tradition, is very similar to one related regarding the Tonga or Friendly Islands, but the personages are named differently. At a time when nothing existed, says the narrative, but heaven and water, and the seat of the gods, the island of Bolotu, the god Tangaloa, to whom belong all inventions, and whose priests are always carpen- ters on the1 island of Tonga, went out fishing on a certain day, and threw his line and hook from the sky into the water. Suddenly he felt a strong re- sistance. Thinking that a great fish had taken the bait, he put forth his whole strength, and, behold ! rocks appear above the water, which increase in number and extent as he draws in his line. His hook had seized on the rocky bottom of the sea, and had almost reached the surface of the water, when unfortunately the line broke, and the Tonga 90 TRADITIONS. [PART I. Islands alone remained above the ocean. The rock which came first out of the depth is still shown in the island Hunga, with the hole in it which was made by the fish-hook of Tangaloa. The rocky island was soon covered with herbs and grasses, which were the same as in the habitation of the gods, Bolotu, only of an inferior kind, and given to decay and death. There are other traditions respecting Maui, ac- cording to which he is more of a spiritual being, and is called the maker of heaven and earth ; but it seems as if modern notions were here interwoven with native legends. According to another still more confused notion, earth and heaven are man and wife, and the island of New Zealand is their offspring, the birth of which was effected by the in- terference of Maui. But "rangi" has a more ample meaning than heaven: it is used for day, light, or the abstract principle of light as opposed to darkness. Is there a deeper meaning in this latter tale, and does it point to the mysterious trimurti of Asiatic religions? However this may be, the same Maui, Mauwi, or Mawi, is the most important personage in all the mythical traditions of the true Polynesians, and es- pecially in those of the Sandwich Islands, one of which groups, in fact, bears his name, and many are the songs to his praise. If we further inquire whether we may trust to what the tradition tells us, that the New Zealanders CHAP. VI.] THE SANDWICH ISLANDS. 91 in the last instance have come from the islands of Hawaii, and whether there is a natural possibility or probability for such a derivation, we encounter difficulties which it is probable will never be sur- mounted. All that we can do in the obscure his- tory of the early migrations of these races is to group the different islands according to the rela- tionship that exists between their inhabitants in re- gard to language and customs, and to see whether there is anything in the traditions of the people to confirm these signs of relationship. There is such affinity between the dialects of the natives of Hawaii and those of New Zealand, and to a far greater extent than that common tie which unites all Polynesians. Shrubs and trees of the same genus, although of different species, bear the same names in New Zealand and in the Sandwich Islands ; the kawa (made from the Piper methysticum) is not drunk in New Zealand, but in the latter country the Piper oxcelsum bears the same name ; the rata and aki are kinds of Metrosideros in New Zealand and in the Sandwich Islands ; the ti is a Dracaena, or rather Cordyline, in both: the physical features of the natives are similar, as is also the character of their sculpture, manufactures, &c. According to the traditions current in New Zealand, their fore- fathers had a long voyage from the eastward be- fore they arrived at that island. Can we trace in the natives of Easter Island, who, according to those navigators that have visited them, . are more 92 EASTER ISLAND. [PART I. like New Zealanders than any other Polynesians, the connecting link between the group of Hawaii and Ahi na Maui, or New Zealand? Easter Island is at the limits of the south-east trade- wind, and emigrants from Hawaii might arrive there without difficulty : the present inhabitants of this isle, a spot almost lost in the infinity of the ocean, seem to have retrograded in civilization; at least the high statues, cut out of a soft volcanic rock, which were seen there by Cook and La Pey- rouse, were not ascribed to the then existing genera- tion, but to their ancestors ; and the strange shape of these sculptures reminds us more than anything else of the grotesque wood-carvings of the natives of New Zealand. Is it not probable that the ancestors of both people, now so remote from each other, were the same ? We have, unfortunately, no means of comparing the dialect of Easter Island with that of New Zealand ; and the outrages committed in mo- dern times, by those who miscall themselves Chris- tians, on the natives of that interesting spot, do not leave us much hope that our acquaintance will soon become more intimate. The native name of Easter Island is Waihu, and the same word is found as the native name of Coromandel Harbour, on the eastern coast of New Zealand. The Sandwich Islands, it is true, are, of all the Polynesian Islands, the most distant from New Zea- land, being situated in 24° north lat. and 161° 45' west long., while the most northern point of New CHAP. VI. J POLYNESIAN MIGRATIONS. 93 Zealand is in 34° 27' south lat. and 173° 4' east long., thus embracing almost the extreme limits of the Polynesian Ocean, or of that part of it which is occupied by the true race of Oceanians. The reader, knowing how studded with islands is the intermediate space, many of them uninhabited, but producing fruits sufficient to serve as food for man, will perhaps say, " Is it not more likely that the Sandwich Islanders, if leaving purposely or by chance their former home, should have fallen in with one of those islands, and settled where the climate was mild and genial, instead of going where it is always variable, and often rigorous ? I have no answer to this objection, and it is in vain to attempt to account for that endless mixture and separation, not only of different races, but of differ- ent divisions of one and the same race, which we find in the islands of the great ocean. The mere proximity of the islands, or even prevailing winds, explain nothing. In the Chatham Islands, for in- stance, which are nearly 300 miles to the south-east of New Zealand, live the remains of an aboriginal race, who in a short time will have disappeared before the intruding New Zealanders, and who, although Polynesians, have nothing in common with the latter. The New Zealanders knew no- thing of that island before they came there in European ships. The migration of man in the great ocean is not more mysterious than that of plants or animals ; 94 GEOLOGICAL SPECULATIONS. [PART I. the subject is very abstruse, but we need not, there- fore, shun inquiry altogether. If a land-bird, which has no sustained power of flight, is met with in two island groups, the Chatham Islands and New Zea- land ; or if the Apterix australis, which has no power of flying whatever, is found in the small Barrier Island near the coast of New Zealand, and in New Zealand itself; are we not justified in look- ing to the geological structures for indications of a former connection of these islands with New Zea- land, which assuredly is the centre of certain pecu- liar animals and plants ? but it would be theorising too far were we to consider each of the little neigh- bouring islands as a similar centre, or to attribute to a miraculous accident the distribution of animals which, from their very configuration, are precluded from transmarine migration. Is it not possible, nay, very probable, that a phy- sical revolution has broken apart what was formerly connected, and that this event destroyed the path on which alone such migration was possible ? I find no objection, either in the geological structure or in the plants or animals, to the theory that a chain of islands was formerly connected with New Zealand ; and there is every probability that the continent of which New Zealand, Chatham Island, and Norfolk Island are the ruins and fragments, formerly occupied a very large space. According to the accounts of whalers, there is now very little depth of water between Chatham Island and New CHAP. VI.] POLYNESIAN LANGUAGE. 95 Zealand, or between the latter place and Norfolk Island; and it is for that very reason that they make those places their whaling-grounds, although I am not aware that soundings have ever been taken. May not, therefore, the once vast continent have sunk into the abyss of the ocean ? If we ven- ture to speculate on the migrations of human races, may we not be allowed to say that the high road is broken by which he who is at present an islander formerly reached the place of his present dwelling ? It is far more credible to me that such was the case than that the inhabitant of Chatham Island, for instance, reached that place in a frail canoe, through an always stormy and boisterous sea. Here, again, we are supported by tradition. There are dim recollections of important geological events amongst the natives of New Zealand : they say that the middle island was formerly connected with the northern. The geologist and the natural philosopher never despise such traditions, as they serve to lead them to new truths. Of all existing languages that of the Polynesians appears to me the most primeval and ancient in its structure. In many of the islands we find the native a happy child-like being, simple and innocent, and living upon the free gifts of nature ; he is aware of the existence of a great Spirit, but it strikes him with awe, and he has not yet speculated on it. It is in a great degree a pure abstract belief, resulting from instinct, as we should expect it to have been 96 THE "TAPU." [PARTI. implanted in man at the beginning of his existence. These singular characteristics lead us to believe that the islands of the great ocean were peopled in periods long passed away. On the other hand, we are led to suppose that the primitive stock from which all these islanders have sprung was possessed of a certain degree of civilization, of which we now see only the remains. The first discoverers found a certain form of society in the more populous islands ; it was divided into castes, and the rigorous law of the " tapu " was imposed upon it, and kept up by a priest caste. The traditions and legends, and even a common legislator; the names of the highest being, Atua, and of the inferior deities ; their agriculture, their architecture, their art of weaving and carving, — all these seem to confirm the belief that the New Zea- landers, as well as the other Polynesians, are de- scended from a common stock, which was, it is true, in a state of infancy, yet was civilized, and understood the art of navigation in a higher degree than they do now. The traditions of Tahiti, Ha- waii, and New Zealand point out that the inhabit- ants formerly made distant voyages, which they would now be unable to accomplish. Indeed, we might in this case dispense with the theory above advanced, and say that when their migration took place they had better means of traversing the sea. But where is the early cradle, where the original dwelling-place of this ancient people, with which CHAP. VI.] ANTIQUARIAN QUESTIONS. 97 we only became acquainted after it had exchanged its primitive seat for the Indian and oceanic islands, and had sunk into comparative barbarism ? Was it Java, or the continent of Asia itself, that fertile birth-place of nations? Or must we look to the east, to which direction, indeed, their traditions point ? and is America the true seat of a once mighty civilization, which has been broken up by some cause or other, and the people scattered abroad ? No clue remains to solve this problem, as we now only see many nations which stand in co-ordination, but not in subordination, to each other, and of which, although they are in very dif- ferent degrees of civilization, none can claim abso- lute antiquity. On all these points a field is open for a combination of labour, and an arduous inves- tigation of language, carried from island to island. Nations rapidly undergo an entire change ; and where the art of writing does not exist, the history of their ancestors and origin soon falls into oblivion, and language, which in nations separated from each other is most stationary, must be almost our only guide. Even during the short period of sixty years that Europeans have been acquainted with the New Zealanders, their knowledge of navigation has dimi- nished, and with it that bold adventurous spirit which made them brave the dangers of long coast- ing voyages. For instance, Captain Cook found them possessed of double canoes, which are now nowhere met with. VOL. II. H 98 THE POLYNESIAN RACE. [PART I. The tradition, which I found to be universal in New Zealand, is, that they came from the eastward, and not from the westward, as was asserted to sus- tain the theory of their uninterrupted migrations from Asia. This tradition gives rise to very inte- resting considerations : the true Polynesian race is separated from Asia by the Austral negroes and the Malayans — races which, being inferior both in phy- sical strength and mental capabilities to the Polyne- sians, cannot be believed to have pushed them to the eastward. I am by no means anxious to broach a new theory ; but thus much seems evident, if we are guided by tradition, by language, and by the geographical distribution of the true Polynesians — that, if they actually came from the Malayan peninsula, or from Java or Borneo, this emigration must have taken place in very primitive times, when the mother tongue of the Malayan and Polynesian languages had not yet undergone any alteration; that they cannot have gradually made their way through the chain of islands which stretches from Java to the Viti islands, as in that case we should find many of these islands inhabited by the Polynesian race, and not by the Austral negro. On the other hand, the fine and regular cast of countenance of the New Zealanders, the Jewish expression of their features, the very light colour of their skin, and the whole of their customs, remind us greatly of that primi- tive Asiatico-African civilization which attained its greatest height under the empires of the Phenicians CHAP. VI.J THE MALAYANS. 99 Syrians, and Carthaginians, and confirm the rela- tion of the Polynesians in a closer degree to nations whose birth-place is Asia, but from whom they are now separated by black tribes. The native baptism, the laws of the " tapu," the monotheistical cast of religious ideas, all remind us strongly of these Asi- atic nations. There is at the present moment a migration going on of the Malayans from their peninsula to- wards New Guinea and Australia — the seats of the true Polynesians ; we find among them the most enterprising merchants of the Pacific, who have established forts and settlements on the northern coast of Australia, and of New Guinea and several other islands, gradually extending their dominion over the Austral negroes. This migration has, however, nothing to do with the ancient peopling of the Polynesian islands, from whose inhabitants the Malayans are still separated by the dark race, and it is only on the western and northern coasts of the islands that they are found. It is a modern migration, which might be easily traced by the historian and geographer. I doubt whether much more than what I have stated can be gleaned from these native traditions. If a system of mythology existed in the country from which the stock of the New Zealanders is de- rived, it does not appear to have been transplanted with them in its completeness, but to have been re- tained only in fragmentary and confused notions and 1 00 INFERENCES OF A [PART I. superstitions after their immigration into the new country. But still there remain traces of the more ancient maternal creed, which had come to some sort of perfection in the Sandwich Islands. There the traditions and religious observances were in the hands of a priest caste, and the same is the case in New Zealand, although it is difficult to define what is a New Zealand " tohunga ;" for here the word means merely " a wise man ;" it is not signifi- cative of a class separated from the rest by cer- tain distinctions of rank, nor are its prerogatives merely confined to the men : a tohunga is sometimes the ariki, or hereditary chief, sometimes a rangatira, or even a slave, or an old woman, who possesses a knowledge of the popular traditions, and has the power to consecrate or to bewitch, to drive out evil spirits by karakia, or prayers, to heal sick people by these means, and to pronounce the " tapu" — a well- known custom, which in its sacred and rigorous character has the double meaning in New Zealand of religious worship and civil law. Ridiculous as this custom of the " tapu" has appeared to some, and as many of its applications really are, it was, not- withstanding, a wholesome restraint, and, in many cases, almost the only one that could have been im- posed; the heavy penalties attached to the viola- tion of its laws serving in one tribe, or in several not in actual hostility with each other, as moral and legal commandments. It was undoubtedly the ordi- nance of a wise legislator. The kumara-field, pro- CHAP. VI.] NEW ZEALAND ORIGIN. 101 perty contained in a house left uninhabited by its proprietor, a house containing seeds, a canoe left unprotected on the beach, a tree selected for being worked into a canoe at a future period — are " tapu." What is this but a command not to steal ? A burying-place, the utensils and clothes used in in- terments, are strictly consecrated, as is the house in which the deceased lived. And this custom arose from a feeling deeply rooted in all the human family, and the more so the higher they advance in civil- ization, namely, respect to the memory of de- parted friends or relations. What is this but a law against sacrilege ? They also " tapu " the canoe in which a person has been drowned, or the musket with which he committed suicide. These are no longer used, but are either left untouched, or are broken up and the pieces placed upright at the spot where the accident happened. If any blood of a chief has been spilt, however innocent the occasion and slight the loss, the instrument which inflicted the wound becomes " tapu," and the chief takes it as his property. A meeting was to take place at the Taupo lake : Te Heu-Heu, the principal man of the tribes, was requested to be present, and a new and highly ornamented canoe was sent to fetch him over. When he stepped into it a splinter penetrated the skin of his foot : every one left the canoe imme- diately, it was hauled up, and the proprietor did not think of remonstrating against Te Heu-Heu laying his " tapu " on it, and regarding it as his property. 102 THE " TAPU." [PART i. It was the custom ! Another canoe was launched, in which they proceeded to the place of rendezvous. A canoe found adrift is " tapu :" but here this word has a somewhat different meaning ; it is " tapu" (i. e. belongs) to him who saves it. A canoe with a party in it, when saved from being lost, stands in the same predicament, and becomes forfeited to those who came to its relief. In these instances we easily recognise the primary principles of our own laws relating to deodands, royal droits, and the claims of salvors. Sick persons, with the house they dwell in, and all utensils they use, are " tapu ;" but in general this is the case only with persons of con- sequence. A married woman and a girl promised in marriage are inviolably " tapu." No one will deny that many of these customs are agreeable to common sense, although others are absurd, and often very annoying to the traveller. I must, however, bear testimony to the natives, that, if treated with a little tact, they are not very obstinate with a stranger in regard to these ordi- nances, and that, with the hand in the pocket, he may, as in other more civilized communities, free himself from most of them. A woman had been murdered by some people of a neighbouring tribe, on the road between Rotu-rua and Tauranga, shortly before my arrival at the for- mer place. The road had been laid under a strict " tapu ;" but the principal natives, although they are perfectly of the old school, and heathens, did not CHAP. VI.] THE " TAPU." 103 prevent us, or the Christian natives who were with us, from breaking that " tapu," and walking on the road. Near Manukao I once lighted the fern ; the fire ran rapidly towards the hills, where, unknown to me, was the burial-ground of a large tribe of Wai- kato. Before I approached the village some men passed me running towards the fire, which was about fifteen miles distant, in order to extinguish it. In the village there was great crying and distress about the conflagration. I pleaded my ignorance, acknow- ledged my error, and settled the affair with a fine of three shirts. The fire was extinguished before the remains of their dead were consumed ; and we have ever since been the best friends. A very strict "tapu" prevented my ascending the principal cone of the Tongariro, a volcano in the centre of the island, it being considered, symbolically I presume, to be the backbone of their greatest an- cestor, and having a head as white as that of the present chief, who was absent on a war party to Cook's Straits. After much negotiation, however, they would have allowed me to break the " tapu" on paying four sovereigns ; but I had not the money with me, and I in vain offered merchandise instead. A strict " tapu " forbids the use of the remains of an old house for cooking, and makes it unlawful to eat food that has been cooked with such fuel. Travellers often disregard this custom ; but, although the natives do not always quarrel about it, they be- 104 THE " TAPU." [PART i. come sulky, and never touch the food, even though they may have become Christians. The head, or rather the hair, of the New Zea- lander is the part most strictly " tapu " of his body. It must not be touched by another, nor must any- thing be carried over the head. The cutting of the hair of a chief is a process always accompanied by solemnities. The dissevered hair is collected and buried, or hung up on a tree. This sanctity extends even to the wooden bust of a great man. In one of the houses of Te Puai, the head chief of the Wai- kato, I saw a bust, made by himself, with all the serpentine lines of the moko, or tattooing. I asked him to give it to me ; but it was only after much pressing that he parted with it. I had to go to his house to fetch it myself, as none of his tribe could legally touch it ; and he licked it all over be- fore he gave it to me, whether to take the " tapu" off, or to make it still more strictly sacred, I do not know. He particularly engaged me not to put it into the provision-bag, nor to let it see the natives at Rotu-rua, whither I was going, or he would certainly die in consequence. Payment for the bust he would not take ; but had no objection to my making him a present of my own free will, which I accordingly did, presenting him and his wife with a shirt each. If men or women are " tapu," they are not allowed to touch their food or drink, but are fed by others until the " tapu " is taken off, which is done by the CHAP. VI.] THE " TAPU." 105 priest or priestess with some simple ceremonies and prayers. Also a child or a grandchild can take the " tapu" off. The man subject to the " tapu" touches the child, and takes drink or food from its hands : the "tapu" is thus removed, but the child is in its turn "tapu" during the day of the ceremony. The breaking of the " tapu," if the crime does not become known, is, they believe, punished by the Atua, who inflicts disease upon the criminal ; if discovered, it is punished by him whom it regards, and often becomes the cause of war. I have dwelt thus long on this singular custom to show under how many various forms it appears. It comprises, indeed, everything that we would call law, custom, etiquette, prejudice, and superstition ; and has, therefore, its good as well as its bad effects. From intimate acquaintance with the savage I am led to believe that, as long as he lives by himself, he possesses more virtues than vices, at least as regards his own tribe. Adultery and theft are uncommon : the latter is punished by exercising the lex talionis. To discover a thief I have seen them resort^ to the ordeal of drawing lots. After the experience of some time I still continue to regard the New Zea- landers as a very honest people, far more so than the lower classes of the European colonists. The tribes in their relation to each other, as long as they are at peace, have certain established customs, which are legal with them. A slave who runs away to his own or to another tribe is invariably 106 SENSE OF JUSTICE. [PART I. brought back. A woman in Mata-mata, in the valley of the Thames, had left her husband, and lived with another very influential man in a pa near the Waipa. In this pa there were two parties : one wished to allow the woman to remain, and were willing to defend her ; but the other, by far the more numerous, were for giving her up to the hus- band, and thus avoid a war, which would certainly have ensued. This was done : the woman was brought back, and her husband shot her ! Those natives who have adopted the Christian laws adhere most strictly to them, as they do also in the case of our civil laws, which are indeed based upon the former. There is a high natural sense of justice amongst them ; and it is from us that they have learnt that many forbidden things can be done with impunity, if they can only be kept secret. With the art of keeping a secret, however, the New Zealander is little acquainted, although he possesses in many other respects great self-control ; the secret must come out, even if his death should be the im- consequence. CHAP. VII.] 107 CHAPTER VII. The Character and Intellectual Faculties of the New Zealauders — Their Classes and Grades of Society — Property — Religion. I HAVE as yet said nothing about the character and intellectual faculties of the New Zealanders. In their character the predominant feature is self- estimation ; and to this source we may trace that heterogeneous mixture of pride, vanity, covetous- ness of new and strange things, that mildness and ferocity, fickleness, and good and kind disposi- tion, which they exhibit. It appears to me that this self-esteem, if wisely guided, might be made the best means of raising their social condition. I am no partisan of that condemnation of the cha- racter of so-called savage tribes, amongst whom I include the New Zealanders, which is so indis- criminately indulged in by travellers : in ^general I believe that their good and amiable qualities far outweigh the bad. They are affectionate husbands and parents ; and although the younger and more vigorous chiefs supersede the aged in their authority over the tribe, the latter are respected, and their council listened to. The tribes more removed from intercourse with Europeans are hospitable, and this cardinal virtue 108 INTELLECTUAL FACULTIES [PART I. was once common to all. In the interior a stranger, whether European or native, is always received with welcome : food and shelter are soon prepared for him. With their friends and relations they divide everything they possess. If a New Zealander meets a relation after some period of separation, all he has is immediately given to him ; and in these cases it is impossible to make any one who has served you retain for his own use what he has received. A desire of instructing themselves, and a spirit of curiosity, pervade young and old. They are very attentive to tuition, learn quickly, and have an ex- cellent memory. Many know by rote hundreds of traditions and songs, and will repeat word for word the Christian catechism, or whole chapters of the gospel. In attention to the objects which surround them — in quickness of perception — they are superior in general to the white man : plants, animals, stones, and so on, are designated by their own names, the knowledge of which may be said to be common to all. This spirit of curiosity leads them often to trust themselves to small coasting vessels ; or they go with whalers to see still more distant parts of the globe. They adapt themselves readily to Euro- pean navigation and boating, and at this moment a native of New Zealand is master of a whale-ship ; and in Cook's Straits many boats are manned by them alone. On their first intercourse with Europeans the natives always manifest • a degree of politeness CHAP. VII.] AND CHARACTER. 109 which, would do honour to a more civilized people. When they meet one another, or a European, after the first salutation, by touching noses, they do not remain standing upright, but squat down on their heels ; and in entering the house of a European this is immediately done in profound silence, and it ap- pears to me that by this peculiar posture they intend to show their respect to others, as is common with some Oriental nations. They dislike to converse standing, and if we do so they think we are not paying the necessary attention either to themselves or to the subject. But their temper often changes very quickly ; and a fickleness of character appears, a change from good to bad humour, often without any imaginable cause, which, especially when tra- velling, is very disagreeable. But if this irritability of temper is met with firmness, they suppress it ; and, indeed, it is often put on to see how the European will bear it. If they are treated with honesty, and with that respect which is due to them as men, I have always found them to re- ciprocate such treatment ; and I have travelled amongst them with as much pleasure and security as I have in European countries. A prominent feature of their character is to re- taliate and revenge any wrong they have suffered. The wrong is often imaginary, and quarrels arise without any cause, especially if a tribe possesses the right of the stronger. I know an instance where the remembrance of a murder had been carried 1 10 INTELLECTUAL FACULTIES [PART I. silently for forty years, when it was at length ex- piated by the death of him who committed it. They are cruel in their wars, either of retaliation or aggression, and it cannot he denied that they possess a good deal of selfishness, and have not that true generous spirit, that gratitude for benefits con- ferred, or that true friendship, so characteristic of European and Eastern nations. But we never find these qualities amongst savages : they are, in fact, the fruits, and the best fruits, of refinement and civilization. It will readily be seen that the character for fero- city and treachery, which has been ascribed to the New Zealanders, does not justly apply to them in times of peace. In their domestic relations they are very easily guided ; and if outrages are committed, they are either the consequence of superstition or are authorized by what they regard as lawful customs. I am sorry to say that, by intercourse with Europeans, the natives have lost many of their ori- ginal good qualities, and have acquired others, far less amiable. They have become covetous, suspici- ous, and importunate. They have lost a great part of their hospitality and politeness ; and their refus- ing aid, when the stranger is most in want of it, or exacting exorbitant recompense for it, makes tra- velling now very annoying. To this must be added, that those who have become Christians refuse, by the ill-judged directions of the missionaries, to furnish food or to perform any kind of work for a CHAP. VII.] AND CHARACTER. Ill traveller who may happen to arrive on a Sunday, which must sometimes take place in a country where one entirely depends upon the natives. Highly as I appreciate the merits of the missionaries, I must say that they have omitted to teach their converts some most important social, and therefore moral duties, which they will only acquire by a more intimate intercourse with civilized Europeans. In their native state they are as laborious as their wants require ; but, easily satisfying those, and un- able, even by their utmost exertions, to compete with the lowest of Europeans, they get lazy and indolent, prefer begging to working, and pass a great part of their time in showing their acquired fineries and contemplating the restless doings of the colonist. As servants they are very independent, and Europeans will do well, if they want any native helps, to treat them with attention, and rather as belonging to the family than as servants. They have this feeling of independence very strongly, and it is very creditable to them. There is every reason to believe that in a short time the character of the New Zealanders will be entirely changed, and any one who wishes to see what they were formerly must study them in the interior, where they are still little influenced by intercourse with us, which, I must repeat, has been little advantageous to them. Suicides — in consequence of wounded pride, or of shame from having been found guilty of theft, 112 CLASSES AND GRADES [PART I. from fear of punishment, by a husband at the death of his wife, by a wife at the death of her husband, or by both at the death of their children — are not uncommon, and cases of all these descriptions have come to my knowledge. The love of life is not among the New Zealander's strongest feelings: I could record many instances in which they have ven- tured their lives to save those of Europeans, with a coolness and courage that would have done honour to a man of any nation. Simple as the structure of a New Zealand com- munity is, it bears, in its division into certain classes, the traces of a former more artificial state. The principal person in a tribe is the Ariki ; but as he is per se a Rangatira, he is rarely called by the former name, and hence the difficulty of ascertain- ing who is the ariki. His dignity is hereditary ; he is the lord of the soil, the Taki-o-te-wenua, the root of the land (or tribe ?). It is hereditary both in the male and female line, and, whether child or adult, the ariki is revered as deriving his title from the number and renown of his ancestors. If he unite eminent bodily or mental faculties with his here- ditary dignity, his authority over the tribe is of course increased, and he is either a great warrior or a tohunga — a priest. Generally speaking, his authority does not extend to the executive, but is confined to the council, where his advice in the affairs of the tribe is of great weight. Even by the enemies of the tribe he is treated with some CHAP. VII.] OF NEW ZEALANDERS. 113 consideration, and in particular cases, where he boasts of being related to a great number of tribes, his life, even in battle, is spared. To the ariki presents are sent from distant friends or relations, a tribute as it were, although, as already observed, the ho- nours paid to him are voluntary and complimentary, rather than compulsory ; and are not numerous. The rest of the men are either rangatira, free men, or taua-reka-reka, slaves. There are distinctions amongst the free men according to the importance of their relations and ancestors, or their proficiency in war or council. But with them, as with the chiefs, their influence depends rather upon their mental superiority than upon the exercise of any legal claim. The ariki, as well as the rangatira, possesses land with well-defined boundaries ; and, in disposing of the land of the tribe, every one can sell or retain his own as he likes. Of the sons of a rangatira, the first and the last inherit the greatest dignity, and are called the Ngako-o-te-wenua, the fat of the earth. The slaves, taua-reka-reka, are the prisoners of war, male or female, and such of their children as are born in slavery. They have to perform the greater part of the work of the field, and are the property of their master, who can do with them as he pleases. If they escape to their own tribe, they are either sent back or fetched back without resistance, as the right to a captured slave is acknowledged. Many wars have been™ carried on merely for the purpose of getting slaves, and this was the avowed object of VOL. II. I 114 LANDED PROPERTY. [PART 1. the renowned E'Ongi in making war on the tribes to the eastward. The " tohunga," or priests, can belong to either of these classes, but the " karakia" (prayers), makuta (witchcraft), or healing art, or dreams, are most powerful when coming from a priest who is distinguished by high birth. There exists a very distinct notion of the rights of landed property amongst the natives, and every inch of land in New Zealand has its proprietor. Sometimes land is given to a strange tribe, either as pay, or from other considerations ; but the pro- prietor reserves certain rights, some of which are what we should term manorial. It was formerly very common that the fat of the native rats (kiore) killed on such lands should be given to the prin- cipal proprietor, and in many cases a title to land seems to have been derived from the fact of having killed rats on it : thus a chief will often say, " This or that piece of land is mine ; I have killed rats upon it." But generally the titles to land are de- rived from inheritance or from conquest. The latter constitutes an acknowledged right ; if, however, conquered land is again taken possession of by the original tribe, the right of the stronger prevails. In settling the complicated land question as regards European buyers, many difficult cases of this kind will doubtless be brought forward, where the ori- ginal tribe had returned, trusting for its security to the Europeans and to the advance made in civil- ization, or to the weakened state of its enemies- CHAP. VII.] TITLES AND RIGHTS. 115 The right certainly is on the side of the conqueror, although another tribe is in possession. Such cases must be settled by a liberal system of compromise. After a war, the conquered land was distributed according to natural limits amongst the principal people, each of them acting as trustee for his imme- diate followers. Every hill, vale, or creek in New Zealand has its name, and the definition of the portion of each individual is therefore comparatively easy. The rangatira, or freemen of a tribe, are very independent of each other. They are kept to- gether more by custom and relationship than by any laws. Each may assemble around him a tribe of his own, and build a pa — a case which not un- frequently happens. And this has probably been the origin of so great a variety of tribes — a powerful family forming a clan for themselves, and adopting a name of their own. The leader in war is not necessarily an ariki or a rangatira of the first rank, although by his renown as a warrior he may have gained great influence over the tribe. If we take religion in its common meaning as a definable system of certain dogmas and prescrip- tions, the New Zealanders have no religion. Their belief in the supernatural is confined to the action and influence of spirits on the destiny of men, mixed up with fables and traditions. I have before ob- served that Maui and his brothers, in consequence i 2 116 RELIGION. [PART i. of their having fished up the island, as well as E Pani, for having introduced the kumara, are the principal persons in the mythology of the people. Although tradition says that they have been mor- tals, they have undergone some sort of apotheosis, and live in the memory of their descendants as beings endowed with supernatural powers. Of Maui the tradition says that he gave them the forms of their houses, canoes, and so on, and was therefore the real benefactor of his people ; but there is no sort of worship paid to his memory. Their belief in spiritual agencies more nearly ap- proaches the nature of religion, and has taken its rise in an intuitive feeling of the influence of bene- volent or mischievous spirits, or of the souls of their relations and ancestors, over all their actions. These spirits are called Atua and Wairua. It is difficult to define the meaning of these names, but it may be observed that Atua, although qualified to assume many different forms, and represented as so many separate spirits, is the divinity ; Wairua, which word signifies both soul and dream, are the spirits of the deceased, invisible, and capable of acting be- nevolently or in a hostile manner upon men. The native language joins to Atua both the definite and indefinite article and the plural number, — He-atua, Te-atua, and Nga-atua ; but, notwithstanding this, although separated in appearance and actions, the gods of the New Zealander are emanations of the st Unknown," and seem to be based upon a former CHAP. VII.] THE ATUA. 117 purer belief of monotheism. The Atua, although immaterial, can assume certain forms, as that of a bird, or a lizard, or a cloud, or a ray of the sun ; a beautiful green lizard, called kakariki, is especially dreaded, as being a metamorphosed Atua. Not to those earthly forms of the Atua, however, but to the spirit itself, prayers are addressed for favourable winds and fine weather, for success in war, for averting diseases, for punishing on the offender the breaking of the " tapu," and so on ; and the eyes of the priests are raised to heaven during these invo- cations.1 I must, however, observe that their idea 1 Such prayers, for instance, are as follow: — He karakia mo te ra kia witi ai. A Prayer for Sunshine by a Party who suffer from Cold. Tenei tenei toa nine te ai tia nei e maua ko te ao nunui ko te ao roroa upoko upoko witi tera. A Prayer for Wind. E topa ra e rere ra e tae koi ki te puke re warewa au hia mai koe ke ai tou ariki koau koau ko rereha e ware hoki rereha ko pouri awa ano pea kia uhia mai koe ki te kahu keke kapai koe te rere atue kareo kareo. A Prayer at the. beginning of a Fight. Teke teke pari kou haramai kato notono katonotono karerei te kapu a taku ingato. Kia toa ! kia toa ! A Prayer in Fishing for Crawfish. Totoke na hia tura kiwahona kai mai ai e hiana e rawe ana e taki ana niho koi tara ko kia u o niho huimai nga koura pura kau o te ratahara ko taku tokuke. Another. Ngau mai ngau mai e ngue ki taku matira nei e ngu e ki taku nmtira nei e ngue ki taku matira wakataratara ka hika ra kei to hara e tangaroa kia u. 118 RELIGION. [PART i. of Atua is often merged in the indefinable. For in- stance, a compass, a barometer, are to them atuas. In one word, Atuas are the secret powers of the universe, whether they appear to them as beneficent or malignant ; but the latter class is that especially addressed in prayer, for the purpose of averting their supposed wrath and hatred. There is no wor- ship of idols, or of bodily representations of the Atua; and what have been taken for idols are mere ornaments or heir-looms from their ancestors, and are called tiki, or e tiki, as already observed. The wairua, or the spirits of the deceased, can commu- nicate with mortals ; but I am not aware that they can assume any form or appearance except the rays of the sun or a shadow. The tohunga does not see, but hears, them (their voice is a whistling or a slight breeze), and communicates their demands to the people. They are the immaterial and immortal parts of men ; but it seems as if even these parts could be annihilated, or rather incorporated with the soul and body of another, if he consumes the flesh of an enemy, and especially his left eye, which is considered the seat of the soul. It was formerly a very common practice, of which I myself know an instance, to sacrifice slaves on the death of a great chief, that he might have the advantage of their services in the reinga. They appear to believe that the after-life differs little from this, with the exception that all the good things of this world, especially kumaras, are there in great plenty and profusion. CHAP. VII.] THE PRIESTS. 119 The knowledge of the priests is handed down from father to son ; and the youths undergo a re- gular course of instruction. I was present at one of the lessons : an old priest was sitting under a tree, and at his feet was a boy, his relation, who listened attentively to the repetition of certain words, which seemed to have no meaning, but which it must have required a good memory to retain in their due order. At the old tohunga's side was part of a man's skull filled with water; into this from time to time he dipped a green branch, which he moved over the boy's head. At my approach the old man smiled good-humouredly, as if to say, " See how clever I am," and continued his Abracadabra. I have been assured by the missionaries that many of these prayers have no meaning; but this I am greatly inclined to doubt : the words of the prayers are perhaps the remains of a language now for- gotten; or, what is more probable, we find here what has existed among most of the nations of anti- quity, even the most civilized, viz., that religious mysteries were confined to a certain class of men, who kept them concealed from the " profanum vul- gus," or communicated only such portion of them as they thought fit. They often had a sacred sym- bolic language, the knowledge of which was con- fined to the priesthood, as, for instance, the Egyp- tian hieroglyphics and the Sanscrit ; or, if we look nearer home, we find the religion of Thor, Odin, and Freya enveloped in a poetical mythos, which 120 THE PRIESTS. [PART I. has for its foundation deep and grand philosophical conceptions of morals and ethics. At the introduc- tion of Christianity the priests were not at all into- lerant towards the new doctrine; they quickly gave up their own belief, and became the most successful teachers of their countrymen. The priests are, at the same time, among the most expert and clever in the native arts ; in fact " tohunga" is often used to designate a clever carpenter, carver, or physician ; just as in former times the priesthood, both in Eu- rope and Asia, united in itself all the learning and skill of the period : and when we behold these reverend-looking personages, it is difficult to believe that they have ever been the ferocious cannibals that almost all travellers have represented them. CHAP. VIII.] 121 CHAPTER VIII. Native Modes of reckoning Times and Seasons — Different Sorts of Land — Modes of Tillage — Warfare — Spirit of Revenge — Canoes — Cannibalism The natives have some knowledge of the heavens, winds, and seasons, especially as far as is applicable to the purposes of practical life. Their designations for the principal points of the horizon, which are also applied to the winds, are the following: — North — Hauraro. North-east — He Marangai Hauraro. East — Marangai. South-east — He Tonga Marangai. South — Tonga. South-west — He Tonga Hauauru. West — Hauauru. North-west — Hauraro Hauauru. A year is called tau, and has thirteen months - marama. — (See table in following page.) Distances are often reckoned by nights (po), that is, how many nights they have to encamp before reaching a place. One " po " means rarely more than from twelve to fifteen miles; often less. In relating 122 RECKONING — COUNTING. [PART I, Names. Corresponding to our 1 Marama-ko-te-tahi . June 2 „ rua . July 3 „ torn . August 4 wa . September 5 „ rima October 6 ono . November 7 „ witu December 8 ,, waru January 9 „ iwa . February 10 „ ngahuru March 11 Marama-ko-te-ngahuru llth month, in which the hauhake kumara. kumara is taken up. 12 Ko-te-paengwawa. 13 Ko-te-tahi-o-pipiri. past events their reckoning is very imperfect; the most correct mode seems to consist in counting a succession of the great chiefs or warriors of one tribe : sixteen to eighteen were the utmost preserved in their recollection, of whom most, but not all, were father and son ; so that this might be regarded as reckoning according to generations. Their sys- tem of counting is purely decimal, and might be carried on ad mfinitum with native words, if re- quired— 10 is kau, 100 rau, 1000 mano: it is per- formed by joining the cardinal numbers to the con- junctive particle ma. (For further information on this point the reader is referred to the Grammar.) Plants or birds, which appear at certain seasons, give the natives sure signs when the time ap- proaches to begin agricultural labours. Two migra- CHAP. VIII.] VARIETIES OF LAND. 123 tory cuckoos (the Cuculus fasciatus, Forst), called kohaperoa, or koekoia, and a very small and beauti- ful kind (the Cuculus nitens of the same author), called by the natives pipiwawaroa — which appear on the coast at Christmas — mark the period of the first potato-harvest. The flowering of the beautiful Clematis albida reminds them to turn the soil for receiving potatoes, which is done in October. Their plantations are generally on the sides of hills, but the kumara and maize plantations are in the alluvial ground of the valleys. They are excellent judges of soil, and distinguish the different kinds by names. The one matua (father soil) is the stiff clay of the hills, and is not esteemed; clayey alluvial land on the banks of rivers is called reretu ; sandy land is called one pu; land composed of de- cayed vegetables on the sides of hills is called one kura; rich land on the sides of rivers is called tai pu. The two latter are those preferred for planta- tions. If the land is wooded (and such they prefer), the trees are cut down and burnt, but no attempt is made to root up the stumps ; the land is after- wards dug up with a pole, which has a foot-piece firmly attached to it, and which is used in the same manner as our spade. It is made of the hard wood of the maire (Eugenia maire), or sometimes of the wood of the Leptospermum ericoides, and is called e kaheru. The work proceeds rapidly; and the soil being interlaced with roots of shrubs and fern, the 124 PRIVATE PROPERTY. [PART I. implement is preferable to our spades, which cut, but do not tear up ; those especially which are made entirely of iron cannot be used by the natives, as their feet are bare. Sometimes a hoe is used formed of Lydian or green stone, fixed to a handle. It is called e toki. The seeds are then put into holes made with a stick of the wood of the manuka. All the plantations are fenced in. The greatest labour is bestowed upon the kumara-fields. They are kept clear of weeds ; the kumaras are planted in regular rows ; and the caterpillars of a sphinx, which feed in great numbers upon the leaves, are at all times carefully removed. In neatness such a field rivals any in Europe. Every family has its own field, and the produce is its private property. But the head of a tribe, being as it were the father of a family, often institutes a sale, to which all have contributed their produce, and the receipts are divided according to the contributions ; in this proceeding there is, however, nothing compulsory. Fishing is likewise carried on in common : an old man acting as an umpire divides the fish which has been caught into equal portions, according to the number of families ; he then walks round, and with a stick points out to whom each heap belongs. Strangers who happen to be present, or a white man who is settled amongst the tribe, receive their share. An umpire divides also the property they have received in exchange for land. CHAP. VIII. J MODES OF WARFARE. 125 The former modes of carrying on warfare have now been almost entirely changed by the introduc- tion of fire-arms. Single combats with the meri or the patiti (stone-club, or tomahawk), to decide a dispute, were formerly frequent, but are now dis- continued. A war is generally announced to the opposite party beforehand, but sometimes it is car- ried on by surprise. The young men of the tribe, with the slaves and women carrying provisions, approach the stronghold of the enemy, generally at daybreak, when they hope to find their adversaries unprepared ; but the watchful dogs often frustrate their designs, and they are either met in open field by their antagonists, or, if the latter feel themselves too weak for such an encounter, a long siege ensues, which often lasts for several months ; and woe to the inmates of a pa if it is taken. In meeting in the open field, the action begins with a dance, in which all manner of distortions of the body are em- ployed to express defiance of the enemy ; the thighs are beaten, the tongue thrust out, and the eyes drawn up, till only the white is visible : by these means and by mimic song they excite themselves to the height of fury. The chief leads his troop ; he car- ries a sort of staff with a carved point, and orna- mented with parrot-feathers and pieces of dog-skin ; besides this he has a " meri," a war-club made of green jade, pierced at the handle, through which a string passes. With the lower end of the staff they fence skilfully. Old women dance in front of the 120 BESIEGING A PA. [PART I. party, stripped of their clothes, bedaubed with red ochre, and distorting their faces even more fright- fully than the men. All the warriors have their hair dressed, tied round on the top of the head, and ornamented with feathers, but their bodies and limbs are entirely naked. The combat is carried on by alternate advance and retreat. If a party retreats in flight, they carry, if possible, their dead with them, or the enemy seizes them for the purpose of devouring them. In an engagement on the sea-shore, in which muskets were used, I saw both parties advance, guarding themselves by trenches rapidly dug as they pushed forward. They fire continually, but irregu- larly, and a great deal of powder is wasted, as they rarely take aim. But, notwithstanding this, krge numbers are often killed. Their mode of besieging is rude, but not without cunning. The besieging party digs trenches and erects high structures of blocks of wood, from which their fire can reach into the pa. Both parties have fosses with loopholes, and outposts ; but they are little careful to conceal their arrangements, each knowing the other's forces too well ; and strangers or neutrals are allowed to pass from one party to the other, the combatants politely ceasing to fire during the time. If a pa is taken, in most cases nothing but a gene- ral slaughter of the men satisfies the thirst of the victors for revenge, and women and children are carried off as slaves. When the two parties are CHAP. VIII.] WAR CANOES. 127 inclined to peace, they deliberate about the condi- tions, and a feast concludes the whole. On returning home they sometimes kill more of the captives. E'Ongi's principal wife, who was blind, often indulged the natural cruelty of her disposition in this manner. But her barbarity at length met its just punishment : in one of the last excursions of E'Ongi to Wangaroa she was left behind on account of sickness, and, being unable to defend herself, the dogs actually devoured her alive. A remarkable custom exists among the natives, called the taua tapu (sacred fight), or taua toto (fight for blood), which is in the true spirit of the ancient law of the Asiatics — " blood for blood." If blood has been shed, a party sally forth and kill the first person they fall in with, whether an enemy or belonging to their own tribe ; even a brother is sacri- ficed. If they do not fall in with anybody, the tohunga pulls up some grass, throws it into a river, and repeats some incantation. After this ceremony, the killing of a bird, or any living thing that comes in their way, is regarded as sufficient, provided that blood is actually shed. All who participate in such an excursion are " tapu," and are not allowed either to smoke or to eat anything but indigenous food. In former times large fleets of canoes often went to distant parts of the island, and, as the country is everywhere intersected by rivers, and contains many lakes, the canoes were dragged from one to the 128 CANNIBALISM. [PART I. other. E'Ongi traversed nearly the whole northern island in this manner. The canoes which they use in war are the largest, and are ornamented at the head and stern. They are made of one tree, the kauri, in the northern, and the totara in the southern parts of the island. I have seen them eighty feet long, and they are able to carry a proportionate number of warriors. They have gunwales on their sides, firmly attached by flax ropes. Formerly a stone adze was the only implement used in their construction ; the natives, however, have now an iron adze. There are other sorts of canoes ; one of them, very low and without gunwales, is used in many parts of the island, especially in the inland lakes of Taupo and Rotu-rua, and is called tiwai. The sails are trian- gular, and made of the light raupo-rushes. They can sail very close to the wind, and are steered by a paddle. A few observations regarding the cannibalism of these islanders may not be out of place. This frightful custom has not yet entirely ceased, al- though it undoubtedly will do so in a very short time. The implacable desire of revenge which is characteristic of these people, and the belief that the strength and courage of a devoured enemy are transferred to him who eats him, are, without ques- tion, the causes of this unnatural taste — not the pleasure of eating human flesh, which is certainly secondary, and, besides, is not at all general. A chief CHAP. VIII.] CANNIBALISM. 129 is often satisfied with the left eye of his enemy, which they consider the seat of the soul. They likewise drink the blood from a similar belief. The dead bodies are " tapu " until the tohunga has taken a part of the flesh, and, with prayers and invocations, has hanged it up on a tree or on a stick, as an offer- ing to the Atuas, or to the wairua of him to re- venge whom the war was undertaken. The heads are stuck up on poles round the village. Women, especially those who plant the kumara, and those who are with child, are not allowed to eat of the flesh, but children are permitted to do so at a certain age, when the priest initiates them into the custom by singing an incantation, which I insert here, although it is too obscure for translation : — He waka ngungu tamariki tenei Mau nga tua ahu karakia Horo nuku Ka ngungu te tama nei Horo rangi Ka koro te tama nei Horo paratu Ka kai te tama nei Horo awa hei kai Ka kai tangata te tama nei Mau nga pukenga hei kai Ka horo parata te tama nei Mau nga wananga hei kai Ka kai hau te tama nei Mau tenei tauira Ka kai e tiki ei E kai te tama nei Ka kai rangi E horo te tama nei i te tangata Ka kai papa hei kai Ka kai akuanei Mau nga tua hei kai Kakai apopo Mau nga wahi tapu hei kai Heoi katahi kakai te tamaiti. Many men too are restricted from eating it. They all agreed, when conversing with me freely upon the subject, that human flesh is well flavoured, especially the palm of the hands and the breast The flesh of Europeans they consider salt and dis- VOL. II. K 130 CANNIBALISM. [PART I. agreeable — a curious physiological fact, if true ; and they stated the same regarding the flesh of our dogs and the introduced European rat. It appears very doubtful whether they ever killed a slave merely for the purpose of eating him. Where such mur- der was committed there was generally some super- stitious belief connected with the act, or it was done as a punishment. The island of Tuhua, or Mayor's Island, in the Bay of Plenty, with a population of about 200 souls, has been subject to many attacks from the tribes of the mainland ; first from the Nga Pui, and after- wards from the Nga-te-Wakaua, in Wakkatane. Their pa being situated on an almost inaccessible rock of craggy lava, the enemy has always been obliged to retreat. The last attack was made in the night, but the inhabitants were on their guard, and allowed the enemy to come to the base of the rock on which the pa stands, and then rolled down large boulders, by which many of the attacking party were crushed ; the rest retreated. They related this the following morning to a missionary, and, on being asked to show the marks of the blood on the rocks, they answered, " Our women have licked it off! " The savage, passionate and furious with the feeling of revenge, slaughtering and devouring his enemy and drinking his blood, is no longer the same being as when cultivating his fields in peace ; and it would be as unjust to estimate his general character by his actions in these moments of unrestrained passion, CHAP. VIII.] CRIMES OF CIVILIZATION. 131 as to judge of Europeans by the excesses of an ex- cited soldiery or an infuriated mob. If we were to be judged by the conduct of our countrymen in the South Seas, who, unprovoked, have not only fre- quently murdered the innocent by tens and twenties, but, what is still worse, have fostered the passions of the natives against each other in every possible manner, what a picture would be given of our civil- ization ! The history of the discovery of the islands of the South Seas is one continued series of blood- shed and aggression ; and in our intercourse with the New Zealanders it might easily be proved that, in nine out of ten cases in which there has been a conflict between them and Europeans, the fault was on the side of the latter, not even excepting the case of the otherwise humane and benevolent Captain Cook, who shot natives in order to make himself acquainted with their race. If one were to reckon up the crimes and gratuitous cruelties (not including, of course, the unhappy but involuntary consequences of our intercourse) which civilized men have com- mitted against the savage, the balance of humanity, and of other virtues too, would probably be found on the side of the latter. I am acquainted with authentic facts relative to occurrences in many of the South Sea Islands, several of them related to me by the perpetrators themselves, which make the blood boil, and which are only equalled by the treatment of the American Indians as related by Las Cases. K 2 132 MISERIES OF THE [PART I, Their mode of carrying on war by surprise and stratagem has naturally made the tribes fearful and suspicious, and has proved the greatest hinderance to the occupations of peaceful industry. Tribes have been broken up, villages deserted, cultivation neglected ; and it is only now, after complete ex- haustion, that the heavy wounds inflicted since the time when E' Ongi first exchanged for muskets in Sydney the ploughshares which he had received in England begin to cicatrize, and the people to throw off that state of suspicion and alarm in which the perpetual hostility of their neighbours had placed them ; and that a field is at length opened for a government, such as perhaps never existed before, to reclaim them to civilization. How far the fear of being surprised by their enemies was carried, will be proved by the custom, very common in a pa, or with a travelling party, of beating the pahu, a canoe-shaped piece of wood about twelve feet long, and suspended by two strings, the hollow din of which sounded far and wide through the stillness of midnight, and was intended to let an approaching party know that they were on the alert. But many a pa has been taken by surprise, and many a party has been cut off, from neglecting any kind of caution. One of their most favourite systems of warfare is to get the enemy into their power by cunning. The tribes of Rotu-rua and Waikato were for a long time involved in a war which originated in CHAP. VIII.] NATIVE WARS. 133 an act of treachery. A chief of the Waikato paid a visit to a pa in Rotu-rua, where he had some relations; an old man in that pa, who had quarrel- led with one of the Waikato many years before, and wished to involve his people in a war with them, received the chief with great apparent friendship, but told his son to kill him treacherously from behind, when he was in the act of making the customary salutation. The son did so, and a long and bloody war was the consequence. The Rotu-rua are now the most belligerent tribe in the island, and are at war with all their neigh- bours. The cause of a long war between them and the Nga-pui was an act similar to that above related. A party of thirty Nga-pui came on a visit to the island of Mokoia in the lake of Rotu- rua ; they were hospitably received, but their doom was already sealed. After feasting, the islanders joined them in singing a war-song, it having been previously arranged that at the second repetition of the chorus they should kill all their guests : this was done, and all the Nga-pui were butchered, with the exception of two who escaped in a canoe. This act of treachery was, however, severely punished : E' Ongi came down from the Bay of Islands, dragged his canoes overland into the lake of Rotu- rua, killed a great number of the murderers, and carried away about sixty of their children into slavery. It is well known that the New Zealanders have 134 MUMMIFIED HEADS. [PART I. a custom of preserving in a peculiar manner the heads of their slaughtered enemies. After the brain has been taken out (and eaten), the head is slowly steamed over hot stones, the exudating hu- midity is wiped off, and this process is continued till the head becomes mummified, in which state it can be preserved for a long time ; these heads are called moko-mokai. In returning home from a war excursion the victors carry them on the taia- has, a sort of pike, and afterwards plant them upon the fences around their houses. In singing the Pihe, or funeral ode, these trophies are elevated on sticks at the concluding chorus. Formerly these heads formed a speculative sort of commerce with the Sydney traders, but now they have become very scarce ; I myself have seen them only on one occasion in the interior. CHAP. IX.] 135 CHAPTER IX. How to legislate for the Natives of New Zealand ? A FEELING of regret is, I believe, very generally excited amongst thinking men, when they observe how little benefit has resulted to barbarous tribes from their intercourse with the people of civilized nations. Not only does the bodily frame of the savage lose its health and manly beauty, his mind its instinctive acuteness and primitive resources, but, either by the more violent means of wholesale murder, or gradually, as if acted upon by a slow poison, the races diminish in numerical strength, until they cease to exist as nations or tribes. The philosopher in his study speculates on the causes of the disappearance of certain kinds of animals, by changes which have taken place in the physical con- dition of the globe, whether in the earliest or more recent periods. It is well known that, besides one division of natural history embracing the subject of living animals and plants, there exists another re- lating to those which are extinct, and for the in- vestigation of which their fossil remains furnish us with materials ; but it is not so generally known that we have proofs of similar extinctions 136 HOW TO LEGISLATE [PART I. continually going on, even down to the present times. In some cases the extermination of a species of animals seems to be connected with a plan of nature, which man can neither frustrate nor com- prehend. The Apterix australis, which is defi- cient in what affords to a bird its principal pro- tection— wings — and which, from laying but one egg in a season, does not multiply sufficiently to make up for the loss, could not resist the effects resulting from the introduction of the dog into New Zealand, and is now very nearly extinct. Another bird, the kakapo, which, judging from some feathers which I obtained, must have been a large and beautiful coocoo (Centropus), has riot been seen for many years ; indeed, it is only the oldest natives who have ever seen it ; and they say that the cats which the Europeans brought into the island have destroyed this bird, which used to roost on the lower branches of trees. In other cases, when man has been aware of such an extinction going on, either absolutely or in a certain locality, and when his interest has been roused, he has suc- ceeded in counteracting the process, or at least in retarding it. Thus the Bos urus, a large and pow- erful animal, which in the times of Tacitus lived in large herds in the countries inhabited by the Ger- manic and Sclavonic nations, was nearly extermi- nated in the beginning of this century, and all that remained were about 500 head in a forest in Li- thuania. Protection was then afforded to these CHAP. IX.] FOR THE NATIVES ? 137 animals, the destruction was stayed, and their num- bers have again increased. In these cases it has generally been the introduction of different species of animals or of man, and the physical changes thence resulting, that have occasioned the exter- mination of certain species which were unable to resist their effects. But man, I believe, does not stand in this position. All our researches into his history lead us to conclude that the races are not different in their origin, and forbid the idea of in- feriority, and of the necessity of one race being superseded by another. I am of opinion that man, in his desires, passions, and intellectual faculties, is the same, whatever be the colour of his skin ; that mankind forms a great whole, in which the differ- ent races are the radii from a common centre; and that the differences which we observe are due to peculiar circumstances which have developed certain qualities of body and mind. Man, even in the state of barbarism in which the Polynesian nations remain, is superior in many respects to a large proportion of the population of Europe. That he gives way before the European, and is gradually exterminated, whilst it shows our superiority in some points, shows also our deficiency in the arts of civilization and moral government, which disables us from uniting his savage simplicity and his virtues to what our state of society might offer to im- prove his condition, and which causes him merely to taste what is bitter in civilized life. But this by 138 HOW TO LEGISLATE [PART I. no means shows his inferiority : the lion that tears the deer into pieces is not therefore made of nobler material. We, who with " firewater," with the musket, and disease, war against the unoffending tribes of coloured men, have no right to talk of their inferiority, but should rather perceive a defi- ciency in our own state of civilization. The subject of preserving the natives from exter- mination by the spreading of colonization has been the study of many excellent men ; perhaps it has been thought more difficult than it actually is. If we dismiss the belief that there is something in their physical configuration or mental disposition to prevent their continuance when in contact with Europeans, or that there is any natural necessity for their giving way to another race, and if we are inclined to exercise what we profess by our laws and our religion, I see no difficulty in legislating for the different people amongst whom colonies have been established, although the minutiae of a legis- lative design must always be modified according to the different races. I think there can be little dif- ference of opinion as to the general principles ; but to adapt them to a particular country must be the result of a knowledge of the principal causes of the decay of the natives in that country. In the follow- ing pages I shall merely speak of the natives of New Zealand, and attempt to show how that fate can be averted which, in the opinion of many, seems inevitably to await them. CHAP. IX.] FOR THE NATIVES? 139 There are already reasons for fearing an approach- ing conflict between the natives and the colonists, if the latter continue to be placed upon land belonging to the former, and for the peaceful and lawful acqui- sition of which no attempt even has been made. Up to the present time the energies of the New Zealanders to defend their rights have not been roused, and they have merely protested against the injustice ; but, if left unprotected, the multitudes of Europeans pouring into their country will not in- timidate them — they will rather fill them with suspicion, stimulate them to exertion, and convert them into open foes. And let not such an enemy be despised : the New Zealander is no coward ; he can live in his impenetrable forests, where no Euro- pean can follow him ; he can cut off all chance of colonization, especially if necessity teaches the tribes to forget their own dissensions and to be strong by union. And yet, of all the nations of the Polynesian race, the New Zealanders show the readiest dispo- sition for assuming in a high degree that civilization which must be the link to connect them with the European colonists, and ultimately to amalgamate them. This disposition is especially the result of the nature of their country. If in the islands situated between the tropics Nature has been profuse in her gifts, yielding spontaneously, or with little exer- tion on the part of man, all the necessaries of life, 140 HOW TO LEGISLATE [PART I. man has at the same time become there more effe- minate, and less inclined to great bodily or men- tal exertion. Where the climate is so genial, clothes are superfluous, and houses of a complicated con- struction are not wanted. Agriculture — that cor- ner-stone of an advanced state of civilization. — re- mains in its infancy ; and the cattle, roaming at large, destroy the young cocoa-nut and bread-fruit trees. The milk of the cocoa-nut serves the natives instead of that of the cow ; bread-fruit, bananas, yams, and taro, are all highly farinaceous, and take the place of the cerealia of Europe. The acquaint- ance with European luxuries, and the creation of artificial wants, have not made these islanders healthier or happier than when they lived upon the bounties of Nature. How different is the case with the natives of New Zealand! Their country produces spontaneously scarcely any indigenous articles of food ; all these they have to plant, with much labour : their climate is too severe to allow of their dispensing with clothes or with substantially constructed houses, to obtain both of which they are obliged to exercise their mental and bodily faculties ; and they have, therefore, become agriculturists, with fixed habitations. They are not, indeed, as cleanly as the natives of the favoured islands to the north, but that is a consequence of their climate and their poverty. If the first contact with Europeans produced an injurious effect upon their health, in consequence of the entire change* CHAP. IX.] FOR THE NATIVES? 141 in their food and mode of living, every succeeding step is a gain to them ; every advance in the know- ledge of our system of husbandry and of our manu- factures increases their bodily welfare ; every mental acquirement gratifies their ardent desire for informa- tion. The division into separate castes, which we find more or less in the Polynesian nations, as de- rived from Asia, is very indistinct in New Zealand, where there is more of the shadow of it than of the reality ; and this circumstance will facilitate their amalgamation with Europeans upon the broad prin- ciple of equality. Their family connexions — that first foundation of social life — that first and strongest link in the chain which binds men into a community — have with them a powerful influence. Among them also woman is on an equality with man, and enjoys the influence due to her position. The New Zealander has excellent reasoning powers ; he has no deeply-rooted prejudices nor superstitions, although fond of contemplation. Formerly these people were very warlike, but they are now inclined to peace, and the greater part of them are Christians ; they are friends of the Europeans, and particularly of the English, and have become reconciled to their taking possession of the country. In consequence of the interest which the natives excited, Her Majesty's Government, in making New Zealand a British colony, acknowledged it as a pro- minent object to protect the native population in 142 HOW TO LEGISLATE [PART I. their inalienable rights. His Excellency the Lieu- tenant-Governor was instructed to acquire the sove- reignty from the native chiefs by means of treaty. This was done with a few tribes in the northern parts of the island, and with some individuals in the southern ; but circumstances made it afterwards necessary, without consulting the wishes of the in- habitants, to assume at once the sovereignty over the three islands. This was a mere formal step to prevent other nations, or individuals, or bodies, from acquiring in any way sovereign rights. It could not imply any duties to be performed by the natives, nor any sacrifices to be made by them, before they had become fully acquainted with the duties of a citizen, and were able to participate in the benefits of the new organization. The measure was also unavoidable, for, the numerous tribes being perfectly independent of each other, it would other- wise have been necessary to send a commission over the whole country to acquire their consent. But, even in the case of a single tribe, the chief has no authority to give away what he does not himself individually possess; each of its members is the sovereign possessor of his own plot of ground, and to have the consent of all would have amounted nearly to an impossibility. A far more important question for the Adminis- tration to settle is that of the territorial rights of the natives. I have shown that they are perfectly CHAP. IX.] FOR THE NATIVES? 143 aware that they possess such rights. They disposed several years ago of the larger part of the islands to Europeans, and they acknowledge the titles of those who have purchased from them. It has been said that the natives are now strangers on the soil, that they have sold all their land, and that nothing re- mains to them. This is not quite the case. Well acquainted with the nature of their country and the capabilities of the soil in the different districts, they have generally retained such parts as were best suited for cultivation ; but in some instances they have not made any such reserve. According to European law, the new proprietor would in these cases be entitled to remove the native inhabitants from their land ; such, however, can never be al- lowed in New Zealand, and this point calls for the special interference of Government. The deeds of purchase have almost always been written in a foreign language and in a vague form, and the pur- chases were often conducted without a proper in- terpreter being present. Where the natives had made no particular reserve for themselves, the land was sold by them with the implied understanding that they should continue to cultivate the ground which they and their forefathers had occupied from time immemorial ; it never entered into their minds that they could be compelled to leave it and to retire to the mountains. There was, perhaps, an understanding between the parties that the seller should not be driven off by the buyer ; but this was 144 HOW TO LEGISLATE [PART I. verbal only, and not recorded in the written docu- ment. It would indeed be sad were the native obliged to trust to humanity, where insatiable and grasping interest is his opponent, and where the land has gone through ten different hands since the first purchaser, who perhaps bought it for a hundred pipes, and where not one of the buyers ever thought of occupying it. In transferring land to Europeans the natives had no further idea of the nature of the transaction than that they gave the purchaser permission to make use of a certain district. They wanted Europeans amongst them ; and it was beyond their comprehension that one man should buy for another, who lived 15,000 miles off, a million of acres, and that this latter should never come to the country, or bestow upon the sellers those benefits which they justly expected. The most vital point in regard to the native in- habitants, where they occupy part of claimed land, and are inclined to retain it, is that the extent of such disputed land should be fixed by legal titles and boundaries, and that they should be protected in the possession of it against the cupidity of the Europeans. Her Majesty's Land Commissioners, in decid- ing questions according to the letter of the deeds, where the native sellers do not dispute the le- gality of the title, cannot be aware of the hardship and injustice which in some cases they will entail upon native tribes. I will give one instance. An CHAP. IX.] FOR THE NATIVES? 145 emancipated convict from Sydney bought from the natives a piece of land in one of the northern harbours of the island some ten years ago, and settled there. The natives continued to cultivate the best part of the land, which was not of very great extent ; but the man sold the land to another European, with whom I visited the district when he went to take possession of his property. The natives acknowledged that the land had been fairly purchased, and declared their willingness to give up what they had not cultivated, but said that they had no other place to go to, and therefore begged to re- tain their cultivated ground. Now the commis- sioners, who will arrange this matter without visit- ing the spot, will probably decide the case in favour of the European. The latter told me that he would wait for this decision, and then turn the natives off ! The New Zealand Company has cut the Gordian knot of native territorial rights by reserving to them a tenth, and afterwards an eleventh, part of all country and town sections which were sold. This plan, as regards the town allotments, was certainly very judicious and expedient, as the best means to procure a sufficient fund to be applied to the ex- penses of protecting and civilizing the natives. It was, however, an error to believe that they would at once occupy their town allotments, and would live in one community with the Europeans. It may be that single individuals will do so, but it will never be the case with the majority. What VOL. II. L 146 HOW TO LEGISLATE [PART I. attractions can town-life have for them^? Being unaccustomed and unwilling to drag on a life of labour and exercise, the native has no means of pro- curing in a town that which is necessary to enable him to equal even the lowest of our labourers in comfort and appearance. The chief, who thinks himself equal in station and importance to any gentleman, will not consent to send his son to the shoemaker, or tailor, or carpenter ; and he would feel himself degraded if he should continue to live amongst enterprising European mechanics. It is true that some New Zealanders have learned a trade, that others have become domestic servants, and that still more have taken to a sea-faring life ; but, generally speaking, they have the best chance of being preserved as a nation, and of becoming civil- ized, by following their own inclination, and be- coming landed proprietors or peasants. Since Europeans have inhabited the island, that is, ever since the colony has been established, the na- tives have not only provided them with food, but have also supplied more than 150 vessels annually, and have freighted smaller vessels for New South Wales with pork, maize, and potatoes. They have increased their cultivations in proportion as emi- grants have flocked to their shores, and they are wise enough to perceive that by these means they can procure what they want, and be independent of the Europeans, without sacrificing their nationality. They would especially be able to do this if they were CHAP IX.] FOR THE NATIVES ? 147 supplied with the capital resulting from the sales of their ,town allotments, so as to become proprietors of live-stock. The cutting and squaring of timber, and the preparation of flax, are not contrary to their disposition, and I include these employments among the resources of a peasant. I have always observed that the natives who hover about the settlements of Europeans are far inferior to those in the country : they are not only more unhealthy, but also become an ill-conditioned compound of the dandy, beggar, and labourer. Distilled spirits, being in most extensive use in all the Australian colonies, and being, in fact, the chief source of the public revenue, have not failed to cor- rupt, mentally and bodily, the natives, as well as the European settler. With regard to the above-mentioned arrangement, of reserving to the natives the tenth or eleventh part of the country lands, 1 do not mean to assert that that quantity of land is insufficient ; on the contrary, it is more than is in any respect required for the present or for future generations. The point upon which I would insist is this, that they will not occupy the reserved land. They have their favourite places, generally not very avail- able to Europeans. What an injustice would be committed if we were to take from them the land which they occupy, and which they have cleared, and were to restrict them to that portion which has fallen to them by a lottery in London, and thus L 2 148 HOW TO LEGISLATE [PART I. perhaps to separate a tribe from the spot where they were born, where they have hitherto dwelt, and where they have buried their kindred ! It must be at once obvious that, as a general principle, this plan of reserves is impracticable. If it were carried into execution with regard to all the land in New Zealand, the native share alone would be 5,000,000 acres —a quantity vastly greater than is wanted for a population, at the highest, of 115,000 souls. To consult, therefore, not only the wishes of the tribes as to the place, but also their interest as to the quantity of land which is deemed sufficient for each of them, and to acknowledge their titles to such land, are measures which seem to result imme- diately from the nature of the circumstances, and should precede any adjudication of land to European claimants, or any further acquisition of it on the part of government. The natives form small tribes all over the country. It is in vain to expect that two tribes or more will ever amalgamate into one ; but there is no doubt that, if each tribe is left in the possession of its own ground, the aborigines will more effectually become mixed with the Europeans than if there were larger native communities. To carry this, measure into effect it is necessary that the approximate population of each tribe should be ascertained ; that it should be explained to them that they are at liberty to choose any spot which they may prefer, and that the rest is either given to the individuals to whom they have sold it, if the CHAP. IX.j FOR THE NATIVES ? 149 claims of the latter are found consistent with justice, or that it will return to them, and that they may sell it to government. With regard to the quantity of land, it will be the duty of the commissioner to procure them a sufficiency ; and as to what constitutes a sufficiency, I think that ten acres of arable land for each indi- vidual of the tribe, man, woman, or child, chief or slave, is ample. New Zealand is not adapted for pas- ture, but for agriculture ; and, being a mountainous country, the quantity above mentioned will be very valuable. When the question of providing for the children of the missionaries was brought before the committee of the Church Missionary Society in London, two hundred acres for each child was thought to be a liberal allowance. It must, how- ever, be observed that, in a country where there is such a great difference in the value of land, and where only cultivable land is valuable, as there is no natural pasturage, ten acres of arable land must be regarded as sufficient for all reasonable wants of an individual. On the other hand, if that quantity is not thought sufficient for the children of a missionary, who have no claims to the land, I should assert that it is not sufficient for a native, there being no reasonable ground for making a dif- ference between them. As many of the natives will leave their tribe, and seek a livelihood amongst the Europeans, those who remain will benefit by their departure, as, according to the present established 150 HOW TO LEGISLATE [PART i. custom, such property, when abandoned by indivi- duals, belongs to the tribe. It is, however, obvious that the commissioner of the native reserves must act in most cases according to circumstances. Taking the population of both islands at 114,890 souls, the quantity of land which would have to be secured to them, allowing, as proposed, ten acres for each, would amount to 1,148,900 acres; and its distribution, according to the numbers in each tribe, would be as follows : — Tribes. Souls. Land in Acres. 8,000 80,000 12,000 120,000 Ngu-te-whatua . 800 5,000 8,000 50,000 \Vaikato . 24,000 240,000 Nga-te-awa (a) Nga-te-awa (6) Nga-te-wakaua Nga-te-tuaretoa Nga-te-raukaua Nga-te-kahohunu 5,490 8,600 10,000 3,200 600 36,000 1 , 200 54,900 86,000 100,000 32,000 6,000 360,000 12,000 Total . . . 114,890 1,148,900 With regard to the reservation of town allot- ments, I am of opinion that it would be much better if, instead of doing so, a certain sum from the pro- ceeds of sales of town and country land were appro- priated to the native population. It will make the duties of the commissioner too complicated if the allotments themselves are reserved, and will lead to controversies between him and the municipality, CHAP. IX.J FOR THE NATIVES ? 151 particularly in cases where a native reserve becomes desirable to the local administration, or for govern- ment purposes — an instance of which has already occurred. It is far better to treat with the natives for the purchase of their right in such a spot at once, than to have afterwards the disgusting spectacle of seeing the land, inch by inch, come by indirect means into the hands of the Europeans. II. Her Majesty's ministers having decided that government should have the first right of purchas- ing the remaining land from the natives, there is the best possible opportunity for giving them in ex- change for it such articles as will be of permanent and increasing value to them, and will raise their condition as peasants. In almost all the purchases of land which have been made by private indivi- duals, the purchase-money consisted of guns, gun- powder, lead, blankets, tobacco, and pipes ; and in several purchases which were made by government, flour and blankets formed the greater part of the payment. All these articles lose their value in a very short time, and are not of much advantage to the natives, as they can procure them by barter for their produce. Live-stock and agricultural im- plements are now the articles in greatest request, and, indeed, the most essential to their welfare. It would be expected that, having so many missionary establishments amongst them, they would already be in possession of stock ; but this, except in one or two instances, is not the case ; and the only way in 152 HOW TO LEGISLATE [PART I. which they will ever obtain it is, by a liberal pay- ment for their land in stock, which can be very cheaply imported from South America, and in cattle from Sydney, if the prices at the latter place continue as low as they are now. III. As a great many unions have taken place between Europeans and native women, and a number of half-caste children exist, whose mothers have often received a quantity of land as a dowry from their fathers, or as being their property by birth- right, such land should remain the property of the mother and children. The number of half-caste children exceeds 400 on the islands : and connections between Europeans and native women are generally fruitful. Of all measures which could be proposed for the benefit of the aboriginal population, the most im- portant is to leave them undisturbed in the posses- sion of their old cultivated grounds, and in the enjoyment of their own manners and customs, as I have above recommended. The sudden exchange of their own habits of life for ours has always been followed by the result which might naturally have been expected, viz. their quick return to their kindred and their old habits. Placed amongst a European colonial community, a native, when he ceases to be an object of curiosity to us, is little re- garded, unless he gives us his aid as our servant; and even as such he often finds himself curtailed in the recompense of his labour. He is soon made CHAP. IX. J FOR THE NATIVES ? 153 sensible of the differences of rank, and perceives that he is not treated as one who is made of the same flesh and blood as his master. Of all the better enjoyments of civilized life he is deprived, as in colonial society every one gives up his mind solely to the acquisition of money. In the lower orders, with whom he comes in contact, he can per- ceive nothing desirable, nothing to prevent his regretting that independence which he enjoyed in his own home, and from the fruits of his own land : he is expected to forget his language ; in fact, all the sacrifices are on his side. In his own vil- lage, on the contrary, he lives in the midst of his kindred and is respected; nor are his means of subsistence so precarious as amongst the colo- nists ; he is convinced that what he grows, and the manner in which he grows it, are the fittest for him, and the best adapted to his means, when compared with what he sees the Europeans do- ing, with all their vaunted intellect, as they have not the advantage of knowing, as he does, the nature of the soil and the climate of the country : and thus he will in time adopt what is desirable in his circumstances ; he will by degrees be taught the value of civilization, and be able to appreciate its manifold advantages, without entailing on himself its miseries only. IV. The internal division of such native reserves should be left to the tribe itself. I am well aware that there exist differences of rank amongst them, 154 HOW TO LEGISLATE [PART I. and that all the individuals of a tribe have not equal claims to its property. This, however, is no objection to the arrangement which I suggest. The tribes are small, their constitution nearly patri- archal : all who belong to one family work in com- mon ; and it seems to be advisable not to interfere with this. Wars having ceased, slavery will wear out in time ; any interference in the latter respect would not be properly appreciated, either by the masters or by the slaves. The latter are now ge- nerally seeking their fortunes amongst the Eu- ropeans, in consideration of giving their master a part of their earnings, in return for which they are fed, and participate in the resources of the tribe. When the old generation dies offj this state of de- pendence will cease. When members of a tribe die without leaving heirs, the property should belong to the rest of the tribe. V. There are, however, some cases in New Zea- land in which the interference of the commissioner is required. These are, for instance, when a tribe has been conquered by another, and has been allowed to remain on the land, or has had some other place given it to inhabit. According to native customs, they have no right to the place in which they live. In such cases, a place of habitation and their freedom should be secured to them by treaty or by purchase from the conquerors, and the latter should be made aware that they must give up all preten- sions to authority over their former foes, and CHAP. IX. J FOR THE NATIVES? 155 that henceforth the government will defend their rights. VI. The administration of justice within the limits of the tribe should be left to the natives. Crimes are very uncommon, although murders, re- sulting from superstition, sometimes happen. It is clear that instruction as to the deep guilt of this act, and an intimation that it is contrary to the laws of civilized nations, are the best means to prevent it in future. And I can bear witness that it requires very little labour to convince them of the enormity of this practice, and to make them discontinue it. VII. To invest formally, and in an impressive manner, the principal men of a tribe with a certain degree of authority, to show these people that we regard them as capable of becoming civil func- tionaries, and to connect gradually the native admi- nistration of justice with the law of the country, seem to be the next steps to civilization. Each of these native functionaries should act as a magistrate in his own tribe, or as a constable in regard to Eu- ropean colonists, denouncing their aggressions to the proper authorities, securing runaways, and de- livering them up for trial. Several instances have occurred in which natives have of their own ac- cord secured runaway prisoners, and have brought them to the towns. In such cases, the usual reward should be given to the captors, and it should not be pleaded, as I have known it done, that a great benefit would be conferred upon them by retak- 156 HOW TO LEGISLATE [PART I. ing a prisoner and clearing their country of bad characters. The native constable, or magistrate, who would thus be established in every tribe, must be paid; and it must be made his interest to further the views of government. The principal object in making the appointments should be, to show the natives that we treat them as we do Europeans. By thus manifesting that we believe them capable of fulfilling the duties of their commissions, we give to their self-esteem and to their sense of dignity that stimulus which renders them subservient to ulterior views for their own improvement. I would also recommend that a dwelling should be erected for the native magistrate in the principal village. I would furnish that dwelling with some of our domestic comforts, and by this means make the natives acquire a taste for the rest. A colony is established ; all the Europeans soon have furnished and comfortable houses. In the neigh- bourhood lives a native tribe in slovenly huts; they have relinquished their own solid architec- ture, and have no means of competing with the Europeans. They continue to live in the old way, wandering from one patch of cultivated land to another, and constantly changing their place of abode. But if the chief, whose civil office will now add to his importance, is encouraged to build him- self a house on his reserved ground, perhaps in an improved native style, a point of centralization will CHAP. IX.] FOR THE NATIVES? 157 be given, the foundation-stone of a native village laid, around which the rest of the tribe will as- semble, and under proper guidance will improve the roads and the agricultural capabilities of the sur- rounding country. It is very obvious that the colony at large would greatly gain by such an ar- rangement. It might be objected that the missionary-house and church already form this central point of attrac- tion ; but these settlements in only a few cases are situated in places where the natives generally assemble and cultivate the land. Where they have been established in the midst of a native agricul- tural district, as for instance in Kaitaia, the im- provement of the surrounding country and of the natives themselves strikes the observer at once. VIII. The relations of the several tribes to each other should also occupy the attention of the com- missioner. There are still some old differences between tribes, and several battles took place during my stay in New Zealand. It must, however, be observed, that a great number of the inhabitants of the islands are now Christians, and that the first result of this has been to abolish aggressory wars. In such a case the only steps which the commis- sioners could take would be to go immediately amongst the contending parties and dissuade them from hostile proceedings ; td prevent these skirmishes by force would not always be in the power of go- vernment, even if it were advisable to do so. 158 HOW TO LEGISLATE [PART I. IX. It has often occurred to me that the advan- tages which would accrue to a new colony by a proper direction of the labour of a population of 114,890 souls has not been sufficiently considered. If work of any description is to be done, the making of roads and wharfs, the felling of timber, clearing of ground, and so on, the authorities will not take the trouble of superintending its execution by the natives ; and the latter on their part are very cautious in taking contracts, and will only trust those parties who have gained their confidence : the principal cause of this is, that they are always expected to do the work at a very low rate of remuneration, in comparison to the high wages which are paid to Europeans, and that in some cases procrastina- tion, if not deficiency, of payment has taken place. When once the confidence of the natives in such engagements is lost, it is very difficult to re-esta- blish it. In New Zealand, where there is neither slave nor convict labour, and at the same time a great scarcity of free labour, the rapidity of its pro- gress as a colony will in a very important degree depend upon the natives finding it their interest to exert themselves. I have seen them work very hard where they had this stimulus, or where they were otherwise well managed. In some instances in which timber was to be brought down from the sides of steep ravines, and along mountain-streams, where Europeans found the task impracticable, an equal number of natives easily accomplished it. CHAP. IX.] FOR THE NATIVES? 159 Their powerful frames, their indifference to wet, and their habit of labouring unclothed, renders them, if once roused to exertion, particularly suited to such kind of work. If the tribe nearest the place where the work is to be done is unwilling to assist, it has often happened that a very distant tribe has engaged to perform it, and this has created no feel- ing of envy. In all cases, therefore, where public works suited to their powers are to be executed, an offer should be made to the natives on terms similar to those offered to Europeans ; the na- ture of their engagement should be explained to them, and a written agreement drawn out. As it is probably intended to establish settlements in many different parts of the island, it would be advisable to establish the system of employing the natives some time before the scheme is put into execution, as this will not only facilitate the subsequent ar- rangements, but materially diminish the price of labour, and will, in fact, often be the only way to have works executed at all. X. I believe that, even in their present state, the natives of New Zealand are well qualified to enjoy all the personal rights of British subjects. They are trustworthy when called upon to give evidence in public, as was fully shown in their depositions before the court for examining into land claims ; and I believe they might with ad- vantage be admitted into the land and sea service. Formerly many hundred natives served in British 160 HOW TO LEGISLATE [PART I. ships, especially in whaling-vessels and in the pilot- boats of Hobart Town and Sydney. But of late they have become very unwilling to serve, on account of the bad and humiliating treatment which they have received from the Europeans. In Her Ma- jesty's forces this would not be the case : on account of the discipline which is kept up amongst soldiers, they are great favourites with the natives. The commissioner should inform them that, according to the laws, they will enjoy the same civil rights as British subjects, explaining to them the duties of such situations, and offering his assistance in pro- curing for them full participation in those rights. XI. I have elsewhere mentioned the changes that have taken place in the physical condition of the natives since they have come in contact with Europeans. I have traced this effect to that alteration in their mode of living which their ac- quaintance with new kinds of food and clothing, and their altered occupations, have occasioned. I have seen many natives fall in the prime of life victims to diseases which, by early attention, could have been cured or averted. A surgeon was for- merly employed by the Church Mission, but for the last few years his duties have been discontinued. The Church Missionary Society supplies medi- cines to its members, and there is much willingness amongst the missionaries to assist the natives. But everybody knows how much mischief is done by such an unprofessional system of " dispensing, CHAP. IX.] FOR THE NATIVES? 161 bleeding, and blistering ;" and besides, assistance is always refused if there is anything sexual in the disease. On the other hand, it is not medicine alone that is wanted, but advice and dietetical mea- sures, with a few simples; and in a great many cases a medical man alone is able to form a correct judgment. In order to provide this aid for the natives, it would perhaps be advisable that the com- missioners for the different provinces should be in- dividuals having some degree of medical knowledge, that they should direct their attention to the state of health of the aborigines, that they should com- municate to government a quarterly statement of the health of those intrusted to their care, and that they should issue a printed circular to all the natives of the district, informing them that they can obtain help on application. To insure to the aboriginal inhabitants the means of livelihood, to protect them in the possession of their property, not merely by the letter, but by the spirit and most scrupulous application of the laws, to place them in all civil rights on a foot- ing of equality with the Europeans, are no doubt among the first and most essential duties of the legislature. But, in a new and prominent effort of European enterprise, as the colonization of New Zealand will be, civilization ought likewise to show its usefulness by developing the slumbering faculties of a native population through instruction, and by rendering them gradually capable of participating VOL. II. M 162 HOW TO LEGISLATE [PART i. in our arts and sciences. And here I am naturally led to speak of the exertions of the missionaries. There are at the present moment missions of three different sects in New Zealand — of the Church of England, of the Wesleyans, and of the Roman Ca- tholics. The first, which is the oldest, and was established by a very excellent and pious man, the Rev. Samuel Marsden, in 1814, consists of the fol- lowing stations : — Stations of the Church Missionary Society in New Zealand. Names. Clergymen. Catechists. 1 Kaitaia . 2 2 Wangaroa . . . 1 3 Bay of Islands, (a) Paihia . 1 4 (6) Tepuna . . . 1 5 (c) Kerikeri . . . 1 6 (d) Waikeri . . . 1 7 (e) Kororarika . 1 8 Waimate .... 1 2 Frith of the Thames. 9 (a) Puriri 1 10 (b) Maraetai 1 11 Tauranga . 1 1 12 Roto-rua .... . . 1 13 Ohiwa . • . • 1 14 Turanga .... *i 15 Port Nicholson . . i 16 Waikanahi .... i 17 Manukao .... . . i 18 Waikato .... i i 19 Waipa .... i Total . . 6 18 There is also an inspector of the printing-office, who is one of the most useful members of the mis- sion, and has an assistant. CHAP. IX. J FOR THE NATIVES? 163 The Wesleyan mission, whose members are all ordained clergymen, consists of the following sta- tions : — Wesleyan Missionary Stations. Names. Clergymen. 1 Hokianga 1 2 Kaipara 1 3 Waingaroa 1 4 Aotea . .' *;». j 1 5 Kawia . 1 6 Taranaki 1 1 Cloudy Bay 1 This mission likewise employs a printer at the Mangungo press, Hokianga. The Roman Catholic mission consists of a bishop and ten priests, one of whom is generally stationed at Wangaroa, one at Hokianga, one at the Bay of Islands, one at Tauranga, and one in the Southern Islands. In accordance, however, with the spirit of the Roman Catholic missionary system, they are generally without fixed places of abode; and the bishop, whose diocese extends over several archi- pelagos in the great ocean, is continually travelling from place to place, accompanied by priests. There are, consequently, at the present moment forty-four missionaries employed in New Zealand ; which, taking the population at 114,890 souls, gives one missionary for little more than 2500 natives. Their duties, however, are by no means equally distributed, as the places most remote from M2 164 HOW TO LEGISLATE [PART I. the Bay of Islands have but lately been occupied by them ; and many densely populated districts have no missionaries at all. The expenses of the establish- ments of the Church society amount to nearly 17,0007. annually. If asked to point out the fruits of employing such a large body of teachers, I should, from my own personal experience, answer as follows :— The exhaustion produced by sanguinary wars dur- ing many years, and the necessity imposed upon the natives, by the influx of Europeans, to accommodate themselves to certain changes, have prepared the field to receive the seeds of Christianity. The most powerful lever in the hands of the missionaries was the printing of a translation of the Gospel, the Ca- techisms, and a few tracts. They gave the natives a language, by communicating to them the art of reading and writing, and, as the latter possess a great taste for such occupations, this knowledge spread throughout the country by mutual instruc- tion, even in places where no missionary had ever been, and many thus became acquainted with the precepts of Christianity. It is not at places where the greatest number of teachers is found that there are the best Christians : on the contrary, the mis- sions were generally established near the chief har- bours, and the natives of such places are the worst in the islands. Christianity has not failed to exer- cise its inherent soothing and pacifying influence ; but the assertion is not quite correct that the mis- CHAP. 1X.J FOR THE NATIVES? 165 sionaries have cleared the way for the settlement of Europeans, as in almost all cases they have been pre- ceded by European adventurers, who dwelt in safety amongst the natives for many years before any missionary made his appearance. Their efficiency would undoubtedly have been greater if they had shared the adventurous spirit of the settlers, and had lived amongst the interior tribes, instead of dwelling many together on the coasts and in har- bours, where so many things counteract their efforts. The New Zealand mission having been first esta- blished as a trial of the so-called civilizing principle, many men were chosen who, although otherwise respectable, could not, from their limited education, and their somewhat low views of the apostolical character of their mission, be expected to dedicate themselves entirely to the business of their call. The consequence has been, that many of these older missionaries have become landed proprietors ; and many, by other pursuits, such as banking, or trading with the produce of their gardens or stock, have become wealthy men. Their influence upon the native character would have been the same if they had been sent out and supported merely as colonists, and with no higher pretensions than their station of life entitled them to. The acquisition of land by these individuals is the reason why the whole body has been so much abused, although the fault lay only with a few. It cannot be doubted that, in a country where each 166 HOW TO LEGISLATE [PART I. strives to outdo his neighbour in the accumulation of worldly treasures, often setting aside all other considerations, the missionaries should have endea- voured to counteract this tendency, by confining themselves to their proper sphere as civilizers and instructors, especially as, in opposition to other Europeans, they professed themselves imbued with the highest Christian principles of humility and dis- interestedness. They ought to have expected that to be seen foremost in mercantile pursuits would diminish their credit with the natives, and put a weapon into the hands of their adversaries. No- body would have grudged them or their children the possession of as much land as they could possi- bly have required for their own use ; but the belief prevalent in Europe, that the missionaries cultivate the chief part of the land which they possess, is very erroneous; I do not believe that more than sixty acres are in cultivation by missionaries or their sons in the whole of New Zealand ; and as that country is not a pastoral, but purely an agricultural one, the quantity of land which they have claimed, as being requisite for the support of their families, is infinitely too large. Eleven missionaries, the only ones who had given in their claims to the land com- missioners when I left New Zealand, demanded 96,219 acres ! and four others had not yet sub- mitted their claims, which I doubt not will be equally large. Some of these persons are now re- tiring on their property, and their sons have become CHAP. IX.] FOR THE NATIVES? 167 so independent as to refuse lucrative situations under government, for which, had they been properly edu- cated, they would have been particularly qualified, as being masters of the native language. I will insert here a list, which will show in what proportion the land thus claimed is distributed amongst the individuals in question. Religion has been at all times the most effective civilizing power, and it evinces a gross ignorance of facts to deny that missions conducted according to pure exalted conceptions of the divine Author of Christianity are the best outposts of the inter- course of Europeans with uncivilized nations. The natives of New Zealand may fairly claim to be placed on an equality with the colonists as regards their religious wants. Many of the missionaries are excellent and disinterested men ; and although only a few of them have had the advantage of a univer- sity education, they seem to be perfectly qualified for holy orders, and to officiate as clergymen. The Wesleyan missionaries are not allowed to purchase land, but are restricted to an allotment sufficient for the wants of their families. Their success amongst the natives has been quite as great as that of their brethren of the Church of Eng- land. The Catholics evince in New Zealand, as every- where, the restless spirit of proselytism, and there results from this the singular spectacle of a lively controversy on religious points being carried on 168 HOW TO LEGISLATE [PART TABLE of the Land claimed by Missionaries in New Zealand. Number of the Case. Name of the Missionary. Extent in Acres. When Purchased. Amount of Purchase Money. £. *. d. 78 J. Davis, Waimate . . 5,000 Oct., 1839 40 0 0 163 Joseph Matthews . 1,500 1835 20 0 0 163 (a) Ditto . . 1,000 1839 60 0 0 164 Richard Matthews . 3,000 May, 1839 73 0 0 222 Richard Taylor, in parte Nov., 1839 312 0 0 243 William White . . 1 Jan., 1835 50 0 0 243 (a) Ditto . . 150 1835 33 8 6 243 (b) Ditto . . 2 1835 470 243 (e) Ditto . . 1,000 Sept, 1835 117 6 0 243 (d) Ditto . . 500 Dec., 1836 32 2 0 243 (e) Ditto . . 250 Jan., 1833 15 0 0 243 (/) Ditto . . 500 1839 51 18 0 243 (g) Ditto . . 10,000 1839 450 0 0 in merchandise. 245 Henry Williams 1,000 Dec., 1833 42 6 0 in merchandise. 245 (a) Ditto . . 3,000 Jan., 1835 231 16 0 cash and merchand. 245 (6) Ditto . . 500 April, 1836 34 8 6 245 (c) Ditto . . 4,000 1836 210 0 0 245 (d) Ditto . . 500 May, 1838 48 19 6 245 (e) Ditto . . 2,000 1839 279 19 0 248 William Williams . . 300 Dec., 1835 72 10 6 248 (a) Ditto . . 400 1835 113 18 0 248 (b) Ditto . . 20 Sept., 1836 8 14 6 248 (c) Ditto . . 20 April, 1837 7 15 0 248 (d) Ditto . . 100 July, 1838 29 4 6 248 (e) Ditto . . 50 Oct., 1838 15 13 6 255 Charles Baker . . . 1,200 1836 & 1839 119 19 0 255 (a) Ditto . . . 30 1835 28 4 4 255 (b) Ditto . . . 5,000 1836 147 19 10 269 William Fairburn . 400 1821 10 0 0 269 (a) Ditto . . 40,000 Jan., 1836 400 0 0 273 James Kemp . . . 50 1834 not stated. 273 (a) Ditto . . 6,000 1835 do. 273 (6) Ditto . . 150 1836 do. 273 (c) Ditto . . 2,500 1836 do. 273 (rf) Ditto . . 1,000 1836 do. 273 (e) Ditto . . 100 1836 do. 273 (f) Ditto . . 6 1838 do. 273 ^) Ditto . . 70 1839 do. 273 (A) Ditto . . 100 1833 44 0 0 274 John King 3,000 1S35 not stated. 274 (a) Ditto . . . 1,500 1836 do. 274 (b) Ditto . . . 500 1836 do. 274 (c) Ditto . . . not stated. 1 834 & 1836 do. Total (11 individuals). 96,219 Total . £3,102 9 8 Besides these claims, the missionaries Shepherd, Hamlin, Puckey, and the former missionary surgeon, Ford, claim large districts ; so that, the quantity of land, exclusive of that which has been bought by the Church and Wesleyan missions as bodies, does not amount to less than 130,000 acres. CHAP. IX.] FOR THE NATIVES? 169 amongst the Protestant and Catholic natives. The humble and disinterested manner of living of the priests, and the superior education which they have generally received, have procured them many friends both amongst Europeans and natives, and also many converts amongst the latter. It probably is not to be expected that other branches of useful knowledge will be imparted to the natives by the missionaries, and in this case their knowledge of reading and writing places in the hands of native commissioners the best means of imparting instruction by the all-powerful press. The schoolmaster is not so much wanted in New Zealand as books, which travel through the coun- try, and are read and understood by young and old, if they are written with a knowledge of the native capabilities, which, by the bye, are not to be estimated very low. For the composition or trans- lation of such books the native language is perfectly sufficient, as it admits the formation of new words on a native basis. This has already been done to a great extent in the translation of the Scriptures. The commissioner should cause to be published not only all acts of government, but also information on English laws, books for children and for adults, and so on. Every one must be struck with the assiduity and perseverance with which mutual in- struction is carried on amongst the natives ; they will often sit for hours together criticising the meaning of a phrase in their books. In this man- 170 HOW TO LEGISLATE [PART I. ner we can permit them to partake of the enjoy- ments and instructions of civilized life, without mixing them up with ourselves, where their pride and self-esteem must be often sorely offended. As to what books ought to be printed, I think a judicious selection from the ' Penny Magazine' would be one of the best and cheapest provisions that could be made. It has been asked whether it would not be very desirable to educate some youths — perhaps the sons of chiefs — in this country. I believe that such ex- periments never had any very good result. Our climate, and our artificial manner of living — so dif- ferent from what the natives are accustomed to — are generally very injurious to their health ; and, instead of contributing to their welfare, we render them miserable. This is the principal objection : but there is another ; a man thus educated, if he do not possess a very superior understanding, could do no more good to his countrymen at large than a European, who has already these acquirements, and likewise a knowledge of the native language. With regard to the youths sent to England being selected from the sons of chiefs, I should say that, from the small difference which exists in the rank of the New Zealanders, it is very immaterial for ultimate usefulness whether any attention is paid in this country to the distinction between a chief and a slave. It has been the custom amongst mis- sionaries to employ native catechists : these should CHAP. IX.] FOR THE NATIVES? 171 be encouraged, and be made the means of imparting knowledge to the children and youths. Many of these catechists are to be found who have grown up near the missionaries, and who are competent and willing to enter into every measure for the im- provement of their countrymen. The whole system of effectually protecting and gradually civilizing the natives of New Zealand may therefore be reduced to the following simple points : — 1. Security in their titles to the land which they occupy, provided such land is a sufficiency. 2. Purchase of their remaining land by payment in live-stock. 3. Security of the property of the children of Europeans by natives. 4. The internal arrangement of all the reserved landed property to be left to the natives themselves. 5. No purchases of such land by Europeans to be valid, nor under any condition to be occupied for government purposes. 6. Procuring by treaty or purchase a sufficiency of land for conquered tribes, who are henceforth to be under the protection of government. 7. The administration of justice within the limits of the tribe, and amongst themselves, to be left, for the present, to the natives. 8. Publishing a short code in their own language, which shall be simple enough to be in harmony with their rude state of society and their wants, but of 172 HOW TO LEGISLATE [PART I, such a progressive character as to allow the gradual and complete introduction of English laws. 9. Investing the principal man of a tribe with a civil function — that of magistrate or constable. 10. Construction of a house for him in an im- proved native style. 11. Preventing collision between tribes, not by force, but by persuasion. 12. In employing and paying them for public works, the natives to be placed on equal terms with Europeans. 13. Their admittance into the navy and army. 14. Provision of medical aid for them. 15. Equality of the natives with Europeans re- garding their religious wants, and the providing teachers for all the tribes. 16. The establishment of a printing-press in New Zealand, and a regular supply of small books in the native language. The ruling spirit of English colonization is that of absolute individuality. It is unwilling in its contact with foreign nations to acknowledge any other system than its own, and labours to enforce on all who are under its control its own peculiar principles. This has been most destructive to the native races, as might be expected from the sudden and violent change which was demanded from them ; and hence principally it is that no amalgamation has taken place between the aborigines of America, of Australia, or of Van Diemen's Land, and the Eng- CHAP. IX.] FOR THE NATIVES? 173 lish emigrants, but the original inhabitants have either disappeared or greatly decreased in number and natural vigour. The East Indies may perhaps be cited in disproof of this opinion, but they can scarcely be termed colonies in the true sense of the word. In our Asiatic possessions the number of Europeans is too small to effect extensive changes; the natives are possessed of a civilization and a re- ligion of their own, which through ages have taken deep root, and, consequently, were not so easily affected by foreign influence; whilst at the same time, by a wise policy, our civil and religious insti- tutions were never in any way forced upon them. To India, therefore, what I have said above does not apply. If in New Zealand a too violent change is intro- duced at once, if the natives are forced to live amongst the Europeans in towns, or if they are driven from their cultivated lands to others, their future prospects will be gloomy ; if, on the con- trary, a strong protective administration watches over their interests against the baneful selfishness of colonial schemers, if their intellect is judiciously improved by good and useful books, — then indeed I believe that it will be possible for them to continue in the midst of a prosperous and thriving colony, until in the course of time they become amalga- mated with it. The Abbe Raynal says, in his ' History of the Establishments and of the Commerce of the Euro- 174 HOW TO LEGISLATE [PART I. peans in both Indies/ when speaking of the abo- rigines of Brazil, that V amour de la patrie is an artificial sentiment peculiar to our state of society, and unknown to the man who lives in a state of nature. The French humanist would have found it difficult to define where, amongst the many nations inhabiting the earth, civilization ends and barbarism begins, or to prove that this feeling really decreases as we descend from the most highly civilized nations, as they are termed, to those which are less civilized. It seems to me that this asser- tion of the Abbe is contrary to all historical expe- rience. I would say, on the contrary, that a man's love of his native land is much stronger in a state of nature than in an artificial society ! Does not the savage desire to die on the spot where he has hunted, and to be buried in the same grave as his kindred? And does not the philosopher, on the other hand, smile at all this, and pride himself on his cosmopolitism? Did not the ancient Britons and Germans fight obstinately against all-subduing Rome out of love for their country ? And does not the extirminating warfare which is carried on at this moment by a slave-holding republic against the Seminole Indians result from a violation of the ter- ritorial rights of the latter by intruding and reck- less adventurers? But if in a native the love of his country is much stronger than in a colonist, if all his recollections, all that gives him strength to defend the soil of his fathers, are identified with CHAP. IX.] FOR THE NATIVES ? 175 the land in which he was born, and which is as it were a part of himself; is it not a disgrace to our civilization to allow him to be oppressed by stran- gers, who have no interest in the country, no regard or attachment towards it, beyond its money value ? If we deem ourselves a nobler race, why not act as the gardener does, who grafts upon the wild pear- tree a twig from a nobler stem, and so gives it the durability and higher qualities which he is anxious to propagate ? The system of exterminating the ori- ginal races is a gross and a fearful mistake in the management of modern English colonies. Not only have their traditions and remembrances died with them, which would supply the place of their history, and would relieve the insipid character of these purely trading communities, but the principle of stability and of patriotism has also been de- stroyed. The natives have universally showed a far nobler attachment not only to their country, but also to its European discoverers, and to the first colonists, than the imported race of shopkeepers, who only strive to dissolve the ties which should bind them to the land of their birth, and who pride themselves on their own ignorance regarding every- thing that belongs to the original inhabitants. The natives, properly controlled, would be a far better bulwark against the aggressions of other na- tions than the colonists themselves. And it is re- markable that those advantages are never taken into account which would ensue to the mother 176 REMARKS. [PART i. country by a largely consuming native population fulfilling at once two of the grand objects of colo- nization— first, that of opening new markets for British manufactures ; and secondly, which is still more important, converting in the course of a few years an island of savage tribes into an integral portion of Great Britain, emulous to resemble its parent land in wealth, happiness, strength, know- ledge, civilization, and Christian virtues. FAUNA OF NEW ZEALAND. MATERIALS TOWARDS A FAUNA OF NEW ZEALAND, AUCKLAND ISLAND, AND CHATHAM ISLANDS. NOTES on the MATERIALS at present existing towards a FAUNA of NEW ZEALAND, by JOHN EDWARD GRAY, F.R.S., Keeper of the Zoological Collections in the British Museum. NOTHING was known of the Natural Productions of New Zealand until Captain Cook's first voyage, in which he was accompanied by Mr. (afterwards Sir Joseph) Banks, Dr. Solander, and Mr. Sydney Parkinson, an artist of con- siderable merit, who was employed by Sir Joseph Banks to draw the specimens of animals and plants which were dis- covered during the voyage. The notes and drawings made by these gentlemen during this voyage contain many species found by them in the various parts of New Zealand at which the expedition touched. Captain Cook, in his second voyage, was accompanied by John Reinhold Forster and his son George Forster. The latter of these gentlemen made drawings of a considerable number of animals observed during the voyage, many of them having been discovered in New Zealand. The drawings made by Sydney Parkinson and George Forster, together with the manuscript notes of Dr. Solander, are with the Banksian Collection of Plants in the British Museum, and form part of the very extensive and magnifi- cent collection of Natural History Drawings belonging to that institution. VOL. II. N 178 FAUNA OF NEW ZEALAND. Dr. Solander described the specimens as they were col- lected, consequently his notes are in geographical order ; and one of the parts of his manuscript, entitled Pisces Aus- tralia, contains descriptions of 41 species of fish which he had observed on the coast of New Zealand. The notes made by the Forsters, father and son, are now in the Library of the Royal Academy of Sciences at Berlin, and are in the course of publication entire by that body ; the notes relative to the fish were printed in J. G. Schneider's " Sy sterna Ichthyologies, Iconibus 110 Illustratum. Berol., 1801." These drawings, having been ever since the return of the travellers accessible to scientific persons of all countries, have been the means of making the animals discovered during these voyages well known to naturalists, and have become the authority on which numerous species have been described. A few of them, as the poe bird of New Zea- land, were published in the plates attached to Captain Cook's Voyages. The late venerable Dr. Latham, when engaged on his Synopsis of Birds, examined them, and described most of the species of birds they contained, and engraved a few of the figures ; and these species have been taken up by Gmelin and others. Kuhl, in his ' Monograph of the Species of Procellaria,' founded most of his new species on these figures. They afford the ichthyologist the only certain means of identifying the species derived by Schneider from Forster's Notes. Cuvier had them and the notes copied to assist him in composing his ' History of Fish ;' and, last year, Dr. Richardson consulted both collections, and compared them together, and from this comparison presented to the British Association a ' Report of the Ichthyology of New Zealand,' to which he added a few new species from other sources, an abstract of which he has kindly furnished for this Appendix. A considerable number of specimens were brought home by the naturalists of these expeditions. Some found their way into the Leverian Museum, but these have been scat- tered ; and the greater number, doubtless, from the length FAUNA OF NEW ZEALAND. 179 of time which has passed, and the imperfect method of pre- servation then used, have now perished. A few specimens of the fish, preserved in spirits, are in the collection of the Bri- tish Museum, and a few birds and fish similarly preserved are in the collection of the College of Surgeons ; but these have generally so lost their colour that they are of com- paratively little use, except to point out any minute organic character that may have escaped the eye of the artist. The collection of shells appears to have been numerous. Many of them remained in the hands of the late Mr. Hum- phreys, and were distributed a few years ago at the sale of his stock. This clever conchologist also notices many of them in his Catalogue of the Duchess of Portland's Collection, and in the Catalogue of the Calonne Collection. Martyn, the most beautiful conchological artist of his time, published three volumes of engraved imitations of his drawings, consist- ing almost entirely of the South Sea shells discovered by these expeditions ; and his figures were copied by Chemnitz into his large and more extensively known work, and have been thus introduced into the scientific catalogues. Many of the species of Martyn's figures are from New Zealand. The insects collected during these voyages were described from the specimens in the Banksian Cabinet by Fabricius, when he visited England, and are published in his different works. From the time of Cook's voyages until within these last few years there appear to have been no collections received from that country, with one exception; for, in 1812 or 1813, Captain Barclay, of the ship Providence, brought home a bird which Dr. Shaw, in the last volume of the ' Naturalist's Miscellany,' described under the name of the Southern Apteryx, or Apteryx Australis. Many persons regarded this figure and description with doubt, but the specimen described by Dr. Shaw having at length found its way into the collection of the Earl of Derby, that liberal nobleman allowed it to be re-stuffed, and a second account of this bird appeared in the Transactions of the Zoological Society. Since that period several specimens have been received in London, and are known as the Kiwi of the natives. 180 FAUNA OF NEW ZEALAND. Three of the recent French voyages of discovery have touched at New Zealand : M. Duperrey, in La Coquille, in 1824; M. Dumont D'Urville, in the Astrolabe, in 1827; and M. La Place, in La Favorite, in 1831. In the year 1832, MM. Quoy and Gaimard, in their accounts of the animals collected during M. Dtimont D'Ur- ville's voyage round the world in the Astrolabe, described several birds and fish, many shells and soft animals, which they had observed and collected during their visit to New Zealand ; but, unfortunately, several of the species described by these naturalists are the same as those that had before been described under other names by the naturalists who had consulted and used the collections resulting from Cook's Voyages, which is to be regretted, as causing a confusion in the nomenclature. In 1835, on the return of the Rev. William Yate, he brought with him twenty- nine species of marine shells, among which were ten species which had not been before observed by either the naturalists who accompanied Captain Cook or M. D'Urville; and these were described by me in the Appendix to Mr. Yate's account of New Zealand. Since that period Mr. Busby has brought home two land helices, which I described in the 'Annals of Natural History.' The French whalers who visit these islands are constantly sending zoological specimens to Paris. Some of the birds so collected have been described in Guerin's Revue de 1* Zoo- logique, in the * Annales des Sciences Naturelles ;' Compt- rendue in the Academic des Sciences of Paris ; and by M. Dubois, in the * Bulletin des Sciences de Bruxelles.' Within the last two or three years several collections of animals, especially birds, have been received in London ; and from some brought by Dr. Dieffenbach, Mr. Gould has described a few in his magnificent work on the Birds of Australia. Generally speaking, many of the birds and most of the fish known to inhabit New Zealand by the voyages of Cook and D'Urville, are as yet known only by figures and descrip- tions to the scientific collectors of England. Except an Apteryx Australis from the Earl of Derby, sixteen species MAMMALIA. 181 of birds received from Miss Rebecca Stone, twenty-nine species of shells received from Mr. Yate, about the same number from Mr. Busby, five species of reptiles, three spe- cies of fish, a few insects and Crustacea, and fifty-eight species of shells brought home by Dr. Dieffenbach, and described in this appendix, we have no specimens from this country in the British Museum collection — the National Collection of the mother country, which should be the richest in the natural curiosities of its different colonies. From these materials, assisted by my friend Dr. Rich- ardson, and my assistants in the British Museum, Mr. G. R. Gray, Mr. E. Doubleday, and Mr. Adam White, the following list of species has been compiled ; and to render it more complete, the descriptions of any new species that have occurred to us have been added. J. E. GRAY. British Museum, 1 5th August, 1842. N.B. Since the above was written the British Museum has received a collec- tion of shells presented by Dr. Stanger, the preserver of the remnant of the African expedition, a collection of insects and shells from Dr. Sinclair, thirty- eight specimens of birds collected by Dr. Dieffenbach, presented by the Directors of the New Zealand Company, together with three other species offish collected by Dr. Dieffenbacl,, which had been sent to the College of Surgeons, but have been transferred to the Museum by Mr. Owen. I. — LIST of MAMMALIA hitherto recorded as found in NEW ZEALAND, by John Edward GRAY, F.R.S., &c. The physiognomy of the natives has been figured by the various navigators who have visited the Island, and more lately by Quoy and Gaimard. — Voy. Astrolab. t. 1, f. 1, 2. Homo sapiens, var. Nova Zelandice. As yet no terrestrial beast, except bats, has been found wild in these Islands, nor do any appear to be known to the natives. Fam. VESPERTILIONID^E. 1. Vespertilio tuberculatus. G. Forster. Icon, ined., n. 1. Yellowish brown; ears small, rounded. Inhab. Dusky Bay, New Zealand. G. Forster. 182 FAUNA OF NEW ZEALAND. " The Pekdpekd, or Bats, and various small batlets, are very common in the Island, but none of the Vampire species. (Ptero- pus ? or Glossophaga?) They are among the smallest of the Australian species." — Polack, i. 304. I am not aware that any of these animals have reached Europe ; they would he interesting, and doubtless new. " There is, apparently, only one species ; pro- bably the one figured by Forster." — Dieffenbach. The following Marine Mammalia are recorded as found there by Polack and others ; but, as I have seen no specimen of any of them, I am not able to verify the accuracy of the systematic names applied to them. Fam. PHOCID^E. 2. The Bottle-nose Seal.— Polack, N. Z. ii. 316. Ma- crorhinus leoninus : Phoca leonina, Linn. / P. probo- scidea, Peron and Lesueur, Voy. Terres Aust. ii. 34, t. 32 ; Sea Lion, Anson, Voy. Inhab. Uwona, 1836.— Polack. 3. Sea Lion and Lioness. — Polack, N. Z. ii. 316. Forster, Cook's Voy. iv. 71 t. Otaria jubata, Desm. Mam.,, 248. O. Leonina, Peron, Voy. O. Pernettyi, Lesson. Phoca jubata, Schreb. 300, t. 83 B., from Pernetty, Voy. ii. 47, t. 10. Inhab. Southern Islands. Islets to the south-west of Island of Victoria. I saw a skin of one which was caught on the west coast of the middle island. — Dieffenbach. 4. Sea Bear. — Polack, N.Z. 317- Arctocephalus Ursi- nus, F. Curier. Phoca Ursina, Linn. I. N. i. 55. Bursina potius volans. Forster. Icon ined., n. 2. Otaria Ursina, Desm. Ursina marina, Steller, Nov. Com. Petrop., ii. 331, t. 15 ; cop. Schreb., t. 82. Inhab. New Zealand, Dusky Bay. — G. Forster. Young. — Black, beneath rather browner, fins black. Seals are " called by the general name of Karavake Ktkino by the natives." — Polack. From 6 feet to 10 feet in length. " The Fur-Seal of commerce (probably A. Ursinui) was for- merly hunted in great numbers, especially on the western coast MAMMALIA. 183 of the middle island of New Zealand, in Stewart's Island, and Chatham Islands. Now, owing to this exterminating warfare, only straggling individuals are met with, and the animal may be said to have deserted the country. Sealers assured me that there was no difference between the Otaria Falklandica and that of New Zea- land, which, however, seems to be very doubtful. Kekino is their native name." — Dieffenbach. Fam. DELPHINID^E. 5. New Zealand Dolphin. — Delphinus Zelandice, Quoy et Gaim., Voy. Astrol., i. t. 28, f. 1, 2. Inhab. Cook's Straits. — Dieffenbach. 6. Grampus, or Killer. — Polack, N. Z. ii. 407. Del- phinus Orca ? Fam. 7. Sperm Whale.— Polack, N. Z. ii. 323; ii. 408. Phy- seter Macrocephalus. Inhab. New Zealand. — Par a Parana, natives ; Tohora, Dieffenbach. Varies in colour — white, black, ochreous, dingy red, and mot- tled. 8. Humpback, or Gibbosa.— Polack, N. Z. ii. 404. Ba- leena gibbosa ? Inhab. New Zealand ? Gregarious. 9. Physalis, or Fin- Back.— Polack, N. Z.i. 323; ii. 405. Balsena Physalus ? Inhab. New Zealand ? 10. Pike-headed Balsena.— Po/acA:, N. Z. ii. 405. Ba- lsena Boops ? Linn. Inhab. New Zealand ? 11. Musculus, or Large-lipped Whale. — Polack, N. Z. i. 323 ; ii. 406. Balsenopterus musculus. Inhab. New Zealand. Common. 12. Tohora, or Right Whale.— Polack, N. Z. i. 323; ii. 401. Balcena Antipodum, Gray, N. S. 1. 1. B. Mysticetus, Polack ; Cuv. Oss. Foss. 368, t. 25, ? bones. B. Australis, Desmoulins ? 184 FAUNA OF MEW ZEALAND. Inhab. New Zealand. Tuku peru of the natives. — Dieffenbach. The body smooth, short, thick ; the gape very large, arched, suddenly bent down at the angle ; the blower on the back part of the head, a little before a perpendicular line from the eye ; the ends of the upper and lower jaw with a roundish rough protuber- ance ; length of the body 60 feet ; length of the head to the angle of the gape 9 feet; of the flippers, or fins, 3J feet; breadth be- tween fins on the abdomen 8 feet 2 inches. The above short description of this species is taken from a very good drawing made from the actual admeasurement of the speci- men . This drawing has been carefully reduced by squaring in the accompanying plate ; and, as the proportions differ considerably from the figure usually given of the Northern Whalebone Whale, I have been induced to regard it as a new species. Polack records two other Whales, as — 13. The Mungu Nue, or Black Physeter, Polack, i. 323, which is the same as the Pike-headed Whale of the Appendix. 14. The Razor-back, Polack, ii. 407. " Back remarkably serrated, and the mouth very much pointed like to the Porpoise." Besides these quadrupeds there are mentioned — 15. The New Holland Dog. — Canis familiaris Australis, Desm. ; Canis Dingo, Blumenb. Said to have been introduced from Australia, but according to Polack, i. 320, " It has been an inhabitant some two or three centuries." It would be interesting to institute an accurate com- parison between these animals and an Australian specimen. The adults are called Kararake, and the young Kuri^ by the natives. ** The dog of the natives is not the Australian dingo, but a much smaller variety, resembling the jackal, and of a dirty yel- lowish colour. It is now rarely met with, as almost the whole race of the island has become a mongrel breed. A native dog of New Zealand is not a sufficiently powerful animal to do harm to domestic sheep, but it is different with the introduced and mongrel dogs, mostly bull-terriers or bloodhounds, which are savage pig- dogs, although with men they are great cowards. In want of better sport they hunt young birds, and to this cause the scarcity of many indigenous birds must be ascribed. The natives also call the dog sometimes " Pero" (Spanish) : they have a tradition that MAMMALIA. 185 their ancestors brought the dog with them when they first peopled New Zealand. Is it not probable, from the Spanish name, that the dog was brought to them by navigators of that nation before the time of Tasman ? "—Dieffenbach. 15. The Rat. — Mus Rattus, Linn. ? " Called Kiore by the natives ; said to have been introduced at an early period by European vessels." — Polack. It would be interest- ing to see whether it is the European, the Indian, or the New Hol- land rat that has been introduced, or if there may not be more than one kind. " There exists a frugiferous native rat, called Kiore maori (in- digenous rat) by the natives, which they distinguish from the English rat (not the Norway rat), which is introduced, and called Kiore Pakea (strange rat). On the former they fed very largely in former times; but it has now become so scarce, owing to the extermination carried on against it by the European rat, that I could never obtain one. A few, however, are still found in the interior, viz. at Rotu rua, where they have been seen by the Rev. Mr. Chapman, who described them as being much smaller than the Norway rat. The natives never eat the latter. It is a favourite theme with them to speculate on their own extermination by the Europeans, in the same manner as the English rat has exterminated their indigenous rat." — Diej/fenbach. 16. The Mouse. — Mus Musculus, Linn.? " The common domestic mouse of Europe has also been intro- duced."— Dieffenbach . Besides these the Colonists have purposely introduced — The common Cat. — Felis Dornestica ; called Picheki by the natives. Polack. Dieffenbach. " The cat often runs wild, and is another cause of the exter- mination of indigenous animals. It is remarkable to observe that these wild cats soon resume the streaky grey colour of the common wild cat." — Dieffenbach. The Pig. — Sus Scropha, Linn. ; called Puorka by the natives. Poaka, Dieffenbach. The Horse. — Equus caballus, Linn. The Ass. — Asinus vulgariv. The Sheep. — Ovis aries, Linn. ; but they are much hunted down by the native dog. The Ox. — Bos Taurus, Linn. 186 FAUNA OF NEW ZEALAND. LIST of the BIRDS hitherto recorded as found in NEW ZEA- LAND, CHATHAM, and AUCKLAND ISLANDS, with their Synonyma, by GEORGE ROBERT GRAY, Esq. Fam. FALCON JD.E. 1. Falco harpe. Forst. Icon. ined. t. 36; juv., t. 37. Falco Novse Zealand! se, Gm. Lath., Ind. On., i. 28.?? Kahu of natives ? Yate, Polack, Dieffenbach. Queen Charlotte's Sound and Dusky Bay. Forst. 2. Falco brunnea. Gould, Proc. Zool. Soc., 1837.— Synop. of Austr. Birds, pt. iii. Falco harpe, Forst. Icon. ined. t. 38. Falco Australis, Homb. et Jacq. Ann. des Sci. Nat. 1841, p. 312. Kauaua of the natives. Yate, Polack, Dieffenbach. Kari-area of the natives of Queen Charlotte's Sound. Forst. Fam. STRIGID.E. 3. Athene Novce Seelandice. — Strix fulva, Forst. Icon. ined. t. 39. Vieill. Ency. Meth. 1291. Strix Novse Seelandise, Gmel. Syst. Nat. 296, sp. 38 : Lath. Ind. Orn. i. 65, Strix Zealandica, Quoy et Gaim. Voy. de 1'Astrol. Zool. i. 168, pi 2, f. 1. Herooroo of the natives of Queen Charlotte's Sound. Forst. Eou Hou of the natives of Tasman Bay. Quoy et Gaim. Kou Kou of the natives. Yate. Kao Koa of the natives. Polack. Ruru ruru. Dieffenbach. Fam. HIRUNDINID.E. Mr. Polack refers the following native names of Riroriro, Piripiri, Toutouwai, Tuturiwatu, as species of " swallows." These names are also mentioned by Mr. Yate, but not as belonging to this or any other family, except the last, which he says is a plover. Fam. ALCEDINID^E. 4. Halcyon vagans. — Alcedo cyanea. Forst. Icon. ined. t. 59. Alcedo sacra, Gmel. Syst. Nat. i. 453 : Lath. BIRDS. 187 Ind. Orn. 251, var. $ et e. Halcyon sanctus? Vig. et Horsf. Linn. Tr. xv. 206. Alcedo vagans, Less. Voy. de la Coq., Zool., 694: id. Man. d'Orn., ii. 89. Ghotarre of the natives of Dusky Bay. Forst. Koto- retare of the natives. Yate. Kotaritari of the na- tives. Polack, Dieffenbach. Kotare popo of the natives. Lesson. M. Lesson also refers to another species under the native name of Poukeko. Fam. UPUPID^E. 5. Neomorpha Gouldii. G. R. Gray, List of Genera of Birds, p. 15. Neomorpha acutirostris et crassiros- tris. Gould, Syn. Austr. Birds : Birds of Australia, pt, pi. Huia, Yate. Uia of the natives. Polack, Dieffenbach. Fam. MELIPHAGID^E. 6. Prosthemadera Nova Seelandice. Strickl. Ann. of Zool. ; G. R. Gray, List of Genera of Birds, p. 20. Certhia cincinnata. Forst. Icon, ined., t. 61. Me- rops Novae Seelandiae. Gmel. Syst. Nat., i. 464. Merops cincinnata. Lath. Ind. Orn., i. 275. Stur- nus crispicollis. Daud. Elem. d'Orn. Meliphaga concinnata. Temm. Men., Ixxxvii. Philemon con- cinnatus. VieilL Ency. Meth., 613. Anthochsera. Vig. et Horsf. Linn. Trans, xv., 323. Le Cravate frisee. Levaill. Ois. d'Afr., pi. 92. Poe, or Toi of the natives of Queen Charlotte's Sound. Forst. Toui of the natives. Less. Tui of the natives. Dieffenbach. 7. Ptilotis cincta. — Meliphaga cincta. Dubus, Bull. Acad. Sc. Brux., 1839, pi. i. p. 295. Kotihe of the natives. Yate. Ihi of the natives of Taranaki . — Dieffen bach . 8. Anthomis melanura, G. R. Gray, List of Genera of Birds, p. 20. Certhia olivacea. Forst. Icon, ined., t. 62. Certhia melanura. Spnrrm. Mus. Carl., t. 5. Certhia sannio. Gmel. Syst. Nat. i. 471 : Lath. Ind. 188 FAUNA OF NEW ZEALAND. Orn., 735. Philedon Dumerilii. Less. Voy. de la Coq. Zool., 644, pi. xxi. Anthomyza cceruleocephala. Sw. Class, of Birds, ii. 327- Philedon sannio. Less. Compi. Buff., ix. 165. He-ghobarra of the natives of Queen Charlotte's Sound. Forst. Koho-i-mako of the natives. Less. Koho- rimako of the natives. Yate. Korirnaku of the na- tives of the Northern Island, and Mako mako of the natives of the Southern Islands. Dieffenbach. 9. Anthornis melanocephala. Yellowish olive; head steel black, with a tinge of the same colour on the neck ; wings and central tail-feathers brown, mar- gined with yellowish olive, the outer feather brown, and the second, third, and fourth feathers on each side blackish brown, margined with steel black ; vent pale yellow. Total length Hi inches; wings, 4i inches; tarsi, Ij inch: bill, 13 lines. Chatham's Islands. — Dieffenbach. Fam. CERTHID^E. 10. Acanthisitta citrina. G. R. Gray, List of Genera of Birds, App., p. 6. Motacilla citrinella. Forst. Icon, ined., t. 164. Motacilla citrina. Gmel. Syst. Nat., 979. Sylvia citrina. Lath. Ind. Orn., ii. 529. 1 1. Acanthisitta tenuirostris. Lafr. Mag1, de Zool., 1841. Acanthiza tenuirostris. Lafr. Rev. Zool., 1841, 242. Piwauwau of the natives, a bird confined to the upper regions of the hills. Dieffenbach. 12. Acanthisitta punctata. G. R. Gray, List of Genera of Birds, App., p. 6. Sitta punctata. Quoy et Gaim. Voy. de 1'Astrol., i. 221, pi. 18, f. 1: Less. Compl. Buff., ix. 133. 13. Acanthisitta longipes. G. R. Gray, List of Genera of Birds, App. p. 6. Motacilla. Forst. Icon, ined., t. 165. Motacilla longipes. Gmel. Syst. Nat., 979. Sylvia longipes, Lath. Ind. Orn., ii. 529. fi tectee tee pomou of the natives of Dusky Bay. Forst. The bird, with the native name of Didadido, given by M. Lesson, may probably prove a species of this genus. BIRDS. 189 14. Mohona ochrocephala. G. R. Gray, List of Genera of Birds, p. 25. Muscicapa chloris. Forst. Icon, ined., t. 157- M uscicapa ochrocephala. Gmel. Syst. Nat., 944 : Lath. Ind. Orn., ii. 479. Certhia heteroclites. Quoyet Gaim. Voy. de 1'Astrol. Zool., i. 223, pi. 17, f. 1. Orthonyx icterocephalus. Lafr. Rev. Zool., 1839. Orthonyx heteroclitus. Lafr. Mag. de Zool., 1840, pi. 8. Mohoua . Less. Compl. Buff., ix. 139. Mohoua houa of the natives of Tasman Bay. Quoy et Gaim. Popokatea, natives of Cook's Straits. Dieffenbach. Fam. LusciNnxffi. 15. Sphenceacus ? punctatus. G. R. Gray, List of Ge- nera of Birds, p. 27. Synallaxis punctata. Quoy et Gaim. Voy. de 1' Astro!., i. 255, pi. 18, f. 3; Less. Compl. Buff., ix. 122. Mata of the natives of Tasman Bay. Quoy et Gaim. Matata of Yate, Polack, and Dieffenbach. Lives in the Typha swamps and amongst fern. Its flight is very short and heavy. — Dieffenbach. 16. Acanthiza igata. — Curruca igata. Quoy et Gaim. Voy. de 1'Astrol., Zoo!., i. 201, pi. 2, f. 2. Igata of the natives of Tasman Bay. Quoy et Gaim. 17. Certhiparus senilis. Lafr., Rev. Zool. Parus se- nilis, Dubus, Bull. Acad. Sc. Brux. 1839, 297. 18. Certhiparus Novce Seelandice. Lafr., Rev. Zool. Parus urostigma, Forst. Icon. ined. t. 166. Parus Novae Seelandiae, Gmel. Syst. Nat., 1013; Lath. Ind. Orn., 571. Toe Toe of the natives of Dusky Bay. Forst. 19. Certhiparus maculicaudus. — Parus Zelandicus, Quoy et Gaim. Voy. de 1'Astrol., Zool., i. 210, pi. ii. f. 3. Less., Compl. Buff, viii. 318. Momohoua of the natives of Tasman Bay. Quoy et Gaim. Riro Riro of the natives of the Northern Islands. Dieffenbach. Mr. Yate speaks of two birds under the native names of Tata- 190 FAUNA OF NEW ZEALAND. riki, Tataiato, which may be species of this genus Certhiparus : the latter is also mentioned by Mr. Polack. Fam. TURDID^E. 20. Turnagra crassirostris . G. R. Gray, List of Genera of Birds, 2 edit., p. 38.— Forst. Icon. ined. t. 145. Turdus crassirostris. GmcL, Syst. Nat., 815. Lath. Ind. Orn. Tanagra macularia, Quoy et Gaim. Voy. de 1' Astrol., Zool. i. 186 : pi. 7, f. 1. Keropia cras- sirostris, G. R. Gray, List of Genera of Birds, 1 edit. Turnagra. Less. Compl. Buff', viii. 216. Golobieo of the natives of Dusky Bay, or Queen Char- lotte's Sound. Forst. Pio Pio of the natives of Queen Charlotte's Sound. Diefenbach. Keropia et Koko Eou of the natives of Tasman Bay. Quoy et Gaim. Fam. MUSCICAPID^E. 21. Rhipidura flabellifera. — Muscicapa ventilabrum. Forst., Icon, ined., t. 155. Muscicapa flabellifera. GmeL, Syst, Nat., 943. Lath. Ind. Orn. Muscipeta flabellifera. Temm., Man. d'Orn. Diggowagh wagh of the natives of Dusky Bay. Forst. Piwaka-waka of the natives. Polack, Dieffenbach. Pi-oua-ka-oua-ka of the natives. Less. 22. Rhipidura macrocephala. — Swains. Nat. Libr. Flyc., p. 122. Partis macrocephalus. GmeL, Syst. Nat., 1013. Lath., Ind. Orn., 571.— Hist, of Birds, i. p. 110. 23. Rhipidura melanura. Dark olivaceous brown ; head and neck greyish black with a supercilious spot on each side white; tail black. Total length 6J inches; bill J inch.; tail 4 inches; tarsi 10 lines. Inhabits Cook's Straits. Dieffenbach. 24. Miro albifrons. G. R. Gray, List of Genera of Birds, p. 43. Turdus ochrotarsus. Forst., Icon, ined., t. 148. Turdus albifrons. GmeL, Syst. Nat., 822. Lath., Ind. Orn., 354. 25. Miro longipes. Less., Tr. d'Orn., 389. Muscicapa longipes. Garnofs Voy. de la Coq. ; Zool., 594, pi. 19, f. 1. Less., Comp. Buff., viii. 373. BIRDS. 191 Gha toitoi of the natives of Dusky Bay. Forst. Miro miro of the natives. Garnot. 26. Miro Forsterorum. — Turdus minutus. Forst., Icon. ined., t. 149. Deep-shining black, with the breast and abdomen pale yellow ; deeper on the former. The base of the secondaries of some of the quills, and of the outer tail-feathers, also a small spot on the fore- head, white. Bill and tarsi black, with the toes pale. The female is represented by Forster as brown, in the place of the black of the male, otherwise the sexes are alike. Total length 5| inches ; bill 7 lines; wings 1£ inch ; tarsi 1 inch. Mirro mirro of the natives of Queen Charlotte's Sound. Forst. Pirangirangi of the natives of Queen Char- lotte's Sound. Dieffenbach. 27. Miro Die/enbachii. This species is very like the preceding, but is altogether of a smaller size, and the colour on the chest is darker, with the base of the lower mandible pale. Found on the Chatham Islands. 28. Miro toitoi. — Muscipeta toitoi. Garn., Voy. de la Coq., Zool., pi. 15, f. 3. Less., Man. d'Orn., p. 188, ed. Compl. Buff., viii. 383. Nirungiru of the natives. Polack. Ngirungiru of the natives. Yate, Dieffenbach. To-i-toe of the natives. Less. Fam. CORVIDJE. 29. Callaeas cinerea. Lath., Ind. Orn., i. 149. G. R. Gray, List of Genera of Birds, p. 51. — Forst., Icon, ined., t. 52. Callaeus. Forst., Ench., p. 35. Glau- copis cinerea. GmeL, Syst. Nat., i. 363. Swains. Class, of Birds, ii. p. 267. Qucy et Gaim., Voy. de 1'Astrol., pi. 15. Kokako of the natives. — New Zealand crow. Yate. Dieffenbach. Kakako of the natives. Polack. Fam. STURNID^E. 30. Aplonis Zelandicus. — Lamprotornis Zelandicus. Quoy et Gaim., Zool., i. 190 ; pi. 9, f. 1. Less., Compl. Buff., ix. 73. 31. Aplonis obscitrus. — Lamprotornis obscurus. Dubus Bull. Acad. Sc. Brux., 1839, 297. 192 FAUNA OK NEW ZEALAND. 32. Aplonis australis. — Turdus australis. Sparm., Mus. Carl., pi. 69. Lath. Ind. Orn. i. 338. 33. Creadion carunculatus. G. R. Gray, List of Genera of Birds, p. 54. — Forst., Icon, ined., t. 144. Sturnus carunculatus. GmeL, Syst. Nat., 805. Lath., Ind. Orn., 324. Wagl., Syst. Av., sp. 6. Creadion pha- roides. Vieill., Ency. Meth. Icterus rufusater et Novae Zealandiae. Less, et Garn., Zool. de la Coq., pi. 23, f. 1. Xanthornus carunculatus. Quay el Gaim., Voy. de TAstrol. Zool., i. 212; pi. 12, f. 4, 5. Philesturnus. — J. Geoffr., Ann. du Mus.; Less., Compl. Buff., ix. 51. Oxystomus carunculatus. Swain., Class, of Birds, ii. p. 270. Tieke of the natives of Tasman Bay. Quoy and Gaim. Tiaka or Purourou of the natives. ] ate. Tira-oua- ke* of the natives. Less. Tierawaki, Cook's Straits. Dieffenbach. Fam. FRINGILLID^. 34. ? Fringilla albicilla. Less., Voy. de la Coq., Zool., 662. To-i-to-i of the natives of New Zealand. Less. 35. Alauda Novce Seelandice. GmeL, Syst. Nat., 799. Lath., Ind. Orn., ii. 497. Alauda littorea. Forst., Icon, ined., t. 143. Kogooaroure of the natives of Queen Charlotte's Sound. Forst. Kataitai of the natives of Cook's Straits. Dieffenbach. A " Ground Lark " is given under the name of Pihoihoi, by Mr. Yate; Piohiohi, by Mr. Polack; Pi-o-oie, by M. Lesson, which may prove to be the above species. Mr. Polack also men- tions a lark-like bird, of a black colour, under the native name of Purourou, which I do not think belongs to this genus. Fam. PSITTACID.E. 36. Platycercus Novce Seelandice. Wagl. Monogr. Psitt. — Forst., Icon. ined. t. 46. Psittacus pacificus, var. /3. Gmel, Syst. Nat., 329 ; var. e. Lath., Ind. Orn., BIRDS. 193 i. 104. Psittacus Novae Seelandiae. Sparm. (non Gmel.), Mus. Carl., t. 28. Kakariki of the natives. Dieffenbach. Powaitere of the natives. Yate. Po-e-tere of the natives. Less. Very common in the Chatham Islands. — Dieffenbach. 37. Platycercus Auriceps. Vigors, Zool. Journ., 1825, p. 531, pi. suppl. ii. Psittacus Pacificus, var. S. ; Lath. Ind. Orn., i. 104. Psittacus Auriceps. Kukl, Monogr. Psitt., 46, sp. 69. Conurus Auriceps. Kuhl, Monogr. Psitt. New Zealand. Wagl. " Never seen by me in New Zealand." — Dieffenbach. 38. Trichoglos.ms Aurifrons. Wagl. Monogr. Psittac. Psittacus (Lathamus) Aurifrons. Leas. Cent. Zoo)., pi. 18. " Also called Kakariki."— Dieffenbach. 39. Nestor Meridionalis. — Psittacus Hypopolius. Forst. Icon, ined., t. 50. Psittacus Meridionalis. Gwel. Syst. Nat., i. 333. Psittacus Nestor. Lath. Ind. Dm., i. 110. Psittacus Australis. Shaw, Mus. Lev., pi. 87. Nestor hypopolius. Wagl. Monogr. Psitt., : G. R. Grays List of Genera of Birds, p. 68. Kaka of the natives. Yate, Dieffenbach. Fam. CUCULID^. 40. Eudynamys taitensis. — Cuculus fasciatus. Forst. Icon, ined., t. 56. Cuculus taitensis. Sparrm. Mus. Carl, t. 32 ; Lath. Ind. Orn., i. 209 ; Vieill. Ency. Meth., 1329. Cuculus taitius. Gmel. Syst. Nat. 412. Eudynamys Less. Tr. d'Orn., 32. Kohaperoa of the natives. Yate. " Koheperoa," from a specimen. Miss Stone. Kohapiroa. Polack ? Koekoia of the natives. Dieffenbach. 41. Chrysococcyx lucidus. — Cuculus nitens. Forst. Icon. ined., t. 57. Cuculus lucidus. Gmel. Sysl. Nat., i. 421 ; Lath. Ind. Orn., i. 215; Vieill. Nouv. Diet. Hist. Natr., viii. 233; Ency. Meth., 1335. Chal- cites Less. Tr. d'Orn., 153. VOL. II. O 194 FAUNA OF NEW ZEALAND. Poopoo arouro of the natives. Forst. Pipiwavvaroa of the natives. Yate, Dieffenbach. " Both these birds are migratory, appearing near the coasts in the month of December. The latter is known to lay its eggs in the nests of smaller birds, especially in that of the fantail fly- catcher."— Dieffenbach. " To this family probably belongs the bird called Kakapo by the natives, and to judge from some tail-feathers of a green me- tallic lustre, which I obtained in the interior, the bird may be a Centropus. It has become so rare, that it has never been seen by any of the missionaries, nor by the natives for many years past. Its destruction is owing to the introduction of cats and dogs. The bird used to perch on the lower branches of trees, according to the accounts of the natives, who caught it by the glare of a torch dur- ing the night." — Dieffenbach. Fam. COLUMBID.E. 42. Carpophaga Novce Seelandia. — Columba argetrsea. Forst. Icon, ined., t. 137- Columba Novae See- landise. Gmel Syst. Nat., 773 ; Less. Compl. Buff., viii. 107. Columba Zeelandica. Lath. Ind. Orn., ii. 603. Columba spadicea. Lath. Ind. Orn. Suppl. Ix. ; Less. Compl. Buff., viii. 85. Columba spa- dicea leucophsea. Homb. et Jacq. Ann. des Sci. Nat., 1841. Hagarreroo of the natives of Dusky Bay. Forst. Kou- koupa of the natives. Kukupa of the natives. Yate. Kuku and Kukupa of the natives. Dieffenbach. 43. Carpophaga ? Columba senea, var. /3. — Lath. Ind. Orn., ii. 602. 44. — ? Columba brunnea. — Lath. Ind. Orn., ii 603 ; Less. Compl. Buff., viii. 109. " I doubt the existence in New Zealand of more than one species of pigeon, the Columba argetrsea of Forster. Very slight varieties in plumage exist, but not sufficient to constitute species." — Dieffen- bach. BIRDS. 195 Fam. TETRAONID^. 45. Coturnix Novce Zealandice. Quoy et Gaim. Voy. de 1'Astrol., Zool, i. 242, pi. 24, f. 1 ; Less. Compl. Buff., vii. 459. " Seen by me once in the northern island, but is very scarce." — Dieffenbach. Fam. STRUT HI ON OXE, 46. Apteryx Australia. Shaw, Nat. Misc., pi. 1057, 1058; Trans. Zool. Soc. ; Gould's Birds of Australia, pi. Dromiceius Novae Zealandiae. Less. Man., ii. 210. Kiwi or Kiwikiwi of the natives. — Less., Dieffenbach. " Its eggs are laid at the root of trees." — Miss Stone. " To this order probably belongs a bird, now extinct, called Moa (or Movie) by the natives. The evidences are, a bone very ittle fossilized, which was brought from New Zealand by Mr. Rule to Mr. Gray, and by him sent to Professor Richard Owen. (Proc. Zol. Soc., 1839. 169.) I possess drawings of similar bones, and of what may possibly be a claw, which are in the collection of the Rev. Richard Taylor in Waimate. They are found on the east coast of the northern island of New Zealand, and are brought down by rivulets from a neighbouring mountain called Hikorangi." — Dieffenbach. Fam. CHARADRIDJS. 47. Charadrius xanthocheilus, Wagl. Syst. Av. sp. 36. Jard. and Selby's Illustr. of Orn., pi. 85. Tuttiriwhatu of the natives. Miss Stone. Takahikaki of the natives. Yate. Tuturuata of natives of Cook's Straits. Dieffenbach. 48. Charadrius obscurus. Gmel. Syst. Nat., 686 ; Lath. Ind. Orn., ii. 747 ; Wagl. Syst. Nat., sp. 35. Cha- radrius glareola. Forst. Icon, ined., t. 122. Ha-poho-era of the natives of Dusky Bay. Forst. Tu- turiwatu of the natives. Yate. To this order may also be referred two other birds spoken of by Mr. Yate under the names of Pukunui, Pututo. 49. Hiaticula Novce Seelandice. — Charadrius torquatulus. Forst. Icon, ined., t. 121. Charadrius Novae See- o 2 196 FAUNA OF NEW ZEALAND. landise. Gmel. Syst. Nat., 684. Charadrius Novae Zealandiae. Lath. Ind., ii. 745. Doodooroo-attoo of the natives of Queen Charlotte's Sound. For st. 50. Anarynchus frontalis. — Quoy et Gaim. Voy. de 1'Astrol., Zool., 1252, pi. 31, f. 2; Less. Compl. BuflF., ix. 427. 51. Hcematopus picatus, Vigors' s King's Voy. Coast of Austr. ii. 420. Haematopus Australasianus. Gould, Desc. of New Sp. of Austr. Birds, p. 6. Scarcely different from this species, and very common in New Zealand. Toria of the natives. Diejfenbach. Fam. ARDEID.E. 52. Botaurus melanotus. — Ardea (Botaurus) Australis. Cuv.; Less.Tr. d.'Orn., 572? Blackish brown on the back, with some of the feathers and wings reticulated with yellowish white ; head, neck, quills, secon- daries and tail dirty brown; sides of head, throat, and streaks down some of the feathers and beneath the body yellowish white, the two latter with blackish -brown streaks, more or less perfect, down several of the feathers. Young, blackish brown, reticulated all over with yellowish white, like the common bittern. Total length, 2 feet 2 inch.; bill, 3£ inch.; wings, 12J; tarsi, 3|. Matukuof the natives. From a specimen found on the Hokianga River. Miss R. Slone. Dieffenbach. Ma- tuku urepo of the natives, or Crane of Yate. Also found on the Murray, South Australia. Mr. Fort- nvm. 53. Herodias Matook. — Ardea jugularis. Forst., Icon. ined., t. 114; Wagl., Syst. Av., sp. 18. Ardea caerulea, var. 7. Gmel. Syst. Nat., 631. Ardea ma- took. Vieill. N. Diet. Hist. Nat, xiv. 416; id., Ency. Meth., 1118. Matook of the natives of Queen Charlotte's Sound. Forst. Matou cou of the natives. Less. Fam. SCOLOPACID^E. 54. Himantopnx Novce Zecdandice. Gould, Proc. Zool. BIRDS. 197 Soc., 1841 ; Birds of Austr., pi. Himantopus melas ( ? .) Homb. et Jacq. Ann. des Sci. Nat, 1841, 320. Tutumata of the natives of Port Nicholson. Dieffen- back. Fam. RALLIDJE. 55. Ocydromus Australis. Strickl. Ann. Nat. Hist. ; G. R. Gray, List of Genera of Birds, p. 91. Forst. Icon, ined., t. 126. Rallus Australis. Sparrm. Mus. Carl., t. 14 ; Lath. Ind. Orn., ii. 756 ; Vieill. Ency. Meth., 1067. Rallus troglodytes. Gmel. Syst. Nat., 713. Ocydromus. Wagl. Weka or Weka-weka of the natives of Cook's Strait, Wood-hen of the Settlers. Dieffenbach. 56. Rallus assimilis. The pectoral buff band on the breast, and rufous colour of the cheeks and on the sides of the neck, are much less prominent than on the Australian specimens, otherwise these birds are very similar. Konini of the natives of Cook's Strait. Dieffenbach. Katatai of the natives. Yate and Miss Stone. 57. Rallus Dieffenbachii. Back olive brown, irregularly banded with buff and black; breast and lower posterior part of the neck and breast rufous yel- low, banded transversely with black ; quills, scapulars, under-tail coverts, deep rufous banded with black ; lower part of chest, abdo- men, sides, and jugulum, black banded with white; top, hind part of the head, cheek, and a streak below the eye, olive-brown, the two last tinged with rufous ; a band from the nostril to the middle above the eye white, the continuation of this band behind the eye and throat grey, but white beneath the bill; tail dark brown with longitudinal streaks of deep rufous near the base. Total length 12! inches, bill 1J, wing 5, tail 3j, tarsi 1J. Moeriki of the natives of Chatham Islands. Dieffen- bach. 58. Porphyrio melanotus, Temm. Man. d'Ora. ii. 701. Pukeko of the natives. — Yatc, Dieffenbach. 198 FAUNA OF NEW ZEALAND. Fam. ANATID^E. 59. Casarca variegata. — Anas cheneros. Forst. Icon. ined. t. 67- Anas variegata. GmeL Syst. Nat. 505. Lath. Ind. Orn., ii. 836. Bernicla variegata. Steph. Shaw, Zool., xii. 59. Casarca castanea. Eyton, Monogr. Anat., 108 pi. Pooa dugghie dugghie of the natives of Dusky Bay. Forst. Putangi tangi of the natives of Cook's Strait ; Paradise Duck of the settlers. Dieffenbach. 60. Anas superciliosa, GmeL, Syst. Nat., 537; Lath., Ind. Orn. ii. 852 ; Ey ton's Anat., 139 ; Steph. Shaw, Zool., xii. 109. Anas leucophrys. Forst. Icon, ined., t. 77. He-Parrera of the natives of Dusky Bay and Queen Charlotte's Sound. Forst. Parera of the natives. Yate. Dieffenbach. 61. Malacorynchus Forsterorum, Wacjl., Isis, 1832, p. 1235. Anas malacorynchus. Forst., Icon, ined., t. 74 ; GmeL, Syst. Nat., ii. 526 ; Lath., Ind. Orn., ii. 862. Rhynchaspis malacorynchos. Steph., Shaw, Zool., xii. 123. Mergus Australis. Homb. et Jacq. Ann. des Sci. Nat., 1841. He-weego of the natives of Dusky Bay. Forst. 62. Spatula rhyncholis — Rhynchaspis rhynchotis, Steph. Shaw. Zool., xii. 123. Eyton, Monogr. Anat. 133. Anas rhynchotis, Lath. Ind. Orn. Suppl. 70. New Zealand and Chatham Island. Dieffenbach. 63. Faligula Novce Zealandice. Steph., Shaw, Zool., xii. 210. Anas atricilla. Forst., Icon, ined., t. 79. Anas Novee Zealandiae. GmeL, Syst. Nat., 541 ; Lath., Ind. Orn., ii. 870. He-patek of the natives of Dusky Bay. Forst. Fam. COLYMBID.E. 64. Podiceps (Poliocephelus) rufopectus. Back ochreous black, with the feathers slightly margined with white, top of head and back of neck black, the shafts of former somewhat prolonged, and light fulvous ; cheeks and throat ash ; BIRDS. 199 lower part of neck, before, and breast, deep rufous ; beneath the body white, tinged with rufous ; vent plombious ; quills brownish black, secondaries white-margined, and tips brownish black ; bill black; legs lead-colour. Total length 12 j in. ; bill, Ij in.; wings, 4f in. ; tarsi, 1 J in. New Zealand. Dr. A. Sinclair. Fam. ALCID^E. 65. Spheniscus minor. t Temm., Man. d'Orn., p. cxiii. Aptenodytes minor. G. Forst. Icon, ined., t. 84, 85 ; J. R. Forst., Comra. Gotten., iii. 147 ; Gmel., Syst. Nat., 558; Lath., Ind. Orn., ii. 881. Chrysocoma minor. Steph., Shaw's Zool., xiii. 61. Catarrhactes minor. Cuv., Reg. An., 551. Korora of the natives. Forst. Dieffenbach. Lays two white eggs in the crevices of rocks and holes near the sea-shore. — Dieffenbach. 66. Eudyptes antipodes. — Catarrhactes antipodes. Homb. et Jacq., Ann. des Sci. Nat., 184]. Auckland's Island. M. Lesson refers to a species of this family under the native name of Ho-i-ho. Fam. PROCELLARIDJS. 67. Pelecanoides urinatrix, Cuv. Procellaria tridactyla. Forst., Icon, ined., t. 88. Procellaria urinatrix. Gmel., Syst. Nat,, 560 ; Lath., Ind. Orn. 327. Hala- droma urinatrix. Illig. Prod. 274; Steph., Shaw, Zool., xiii. 257. Puffinuria Garnotii. Less,, Voy. de la Coq., Zool., 730, pi. 46. Teetee of the natives of Queen Charlotte's Sound. Forst. 68. Puffinus cequinoctialis. Steph., Shaw, Zool., xiii. 229. Procellaria sequinoctialis. Linn. Syst. Nat. i. 213 Lath., Ind. Orn., ii. 8*21. 69. Procellaria gigantea, Gmel. Syst. Nat., 563. Lath. Ind. Orn., ii. 820. Cook's Straits. Dieffenbach. • 70. Procellaria Cookii. Procellaria velox, Banks, Icon. ined., t. 16 ? Grey above, with the apex of each feather narrowly margined, 200 FAUNA OF NEW ZEALAND. as well as their bases, white; oblong spot below each eye; wing- coverts, secondaries, and quills brownish black, with the basal portion of the inner webs of the two last, white ; the front, cheeks, under wing- coverts, and the whole of the under part, white. Bill black ; tarsi and knee brownish yellow ; feet black, with the inter- mediate webs yellow. Total length 12j inches : bill, length 1 inch 7 lines, depth in middle, 3^ lines ; wings 9J inches ; tarsi 1 inch 2 lines. The wings project above an inch beyond the tail, like the one represented by Parkinson in the above-mentioned ' Icones,' but the bill is longer and more slender. Titi of the natives. — Dieffenbach. 71. Prion mttatus, Cuv. Procellaria vittatus. GmeL, Syst. Nat., 560. Procellaria Forsteri. Lath., Ind. Orn., ii. 827. Procellaria latirostris. Bonn, Ency. Meth. Pachyptila vittata. Illig., Prod. 274. Pa- chyptila Forsteri. Stcph., Shaw, Zool., xiii. 251. 72. Diomedca exulans, Linn., Lath. Ind. Orn., ii. 789. " Not immediately near the shores, which, however, they also visit, but in the New Zealand seas, exist several kinds of alba- trosses, which the natives call Toroa." — Dieffenbach. Fam. LARIDJE. 73. Lestris antarcticus. Less., Tr. d'Orn., 616; id. Compl. Buff., ix. 511. Lestris cataractes. Quoy et Gaim. Voy. de 1'Uranie, pi. 3S. 74. Larus fuscus. Linn. Syst. Nat. i. 225. Lath. Ind. • Orn. ii. 815. 75. Larus scopulinus. Forst., Icon, ined., t. 109. He-Talle of the natives of New Zealand. Forst. M. Lesson speaks of a species under the native name of Aki- aki. 76. Sterna striata. Gmel. Syst. Nat., 609. Lath'. Syn. vi. 358, t. 98. Fam. PELKCANID^. 77. Sula australis, Gould, Proc. Zool. Soc., 1840, 177. Pelecanus serrator, Banks, Icon, ined., t. 30. Tara of the natives of Queen Charlotte's Sound. — Dieffenbach. BIRDS. 201 78. Graucalus carunculatus. Pelecanus carunculatus. Forst., Icon. ined. t. 104. Phalacrocorax ? carun- culatus. Steph., Shaw, Zool. xiii. 94. 79. Graucalus cirrhatus. — Pelecanus cirrhatus. Gmel., Syst. Nat., 576. Hydrocorax cirrhatus. VieilL, Ency. Meth. Phalacrocorax? cirrhatus. Steph., Shaw's Zool. xiii. 95. 80. Graucalus punctatus. — Forst., Icon. ined. t. 103. Pelecanus punctalus. Sparrm. Mus. Carl. t. 10; GmeL, Syst. Nat., 574; Lath., Ind. On., 11. Pha- lacrocorax punctatus. Steph., Shaw, Zool., xiii. 88. Pelecanus naevius. GmeL, Syst. Nat., 575. Phala- crocorax naevius. Cuv., Reg. An., 565. Pa-degga-degga of the Natives of Queen Charlotte's Sound. Forst. Common in Cook's Strait. They are social birds, and build their nests, many together, on high trees overhanging the rivers and coasts. They lay two white, as large as hen eggs, and feed especially upon the eels and smaller fishes of rivers. — Dieffenbach. 81. Graucalus auritus. — Carboauritus. Less., Tr. d'Orn. ; id. Compl. Buff. ix. 497. Hydrocorax dilophus. VieilL Gal. des Ois. pi. 275. New Zealand. Less. 82. Graucalus varius. — Pelecanus pica. Forst., Icon. ined. t. 106. Pelecanus varius. GmeL, Syst. Nat., 576. Phalacrocorax varius. Steph., Shaw, Zool. xiii. 92 M. Lesson mentions a species of this genus under the native name of Ka-oua-ko. " All the species of cormorants are called Kauwau by the natives." — Dieffenbach. 83. Graucalus carboides. — Phalacrocorax carboides, Gould, Desc. of New Sp. of Austr. Birds, p. 7. 84. Graucalus flavirostris. — Phalacrocorax flavirostris, Gould, Desc. of New Sp. of Austr. Birds, p. 8. 202 FAUNA OF NEW ZEALAND. III. DESCRIPTIONS of the REPTILES and AMPHIBIA hitherto observed in New Zealand, by J. E. GRAY, F.R.S., &c. Fam. SCINCID^E. 1. Tiliqua Zelandica. Harmless Lizard. Polack, N. Z. i. 317. Pale brown, with irregular small black spots, with a narrow white streak from the nostril over the outer edge of the eyebrow, along the sides of the body and tail, and a narrow black streak below it; sides rather darker, with a few short black-edged white spots; throat arid beneath greenish silvery, with a narrow silvery streak from the cheek across the middle of the ears on the side of neck, and another down the middle of the front of the fore feet ; tail tapering, slender; toes slender; ears deep, round, with a few very obscure rounded scales in front ; scales smooth, of the nape obscurely three-grooved. " Is called Moko-Moko by the natives of Cook's Strait, where it lives amongst fern on the hills, or in the shingle of the sea-coast. The general native name for reptiles is Ngarara." — Dieffenbach. 2. Tiliqua ornata. Inhab. New Zealand, Cook's Straits. — Dieffenbach. Pale brown with small black and white dots, sides paler with similar dots, darker above, and separated from the back by an in- distinct pale marginal streak ; beneath, silvery, varied with the darker edge of the scales ; tail thick, tapering, above brown black and white dotted and varied ; beneath white ; ears deep, round, with a few very obscure round scales in front; scales smooth, thin, with three more or less distinct white streaks. Like the former, only described from a single specimen in spirits, which may be immature. Other specimens would be desirable. Fam. GECKOTID.E. Genus NAULTINUS. Gray, Brit. Mus., and Zool. Misc., 72. Toes 5. 5. free, base thick, rather dilated ; last joint elongated, thick, compressed, free, clawed ; all with entire cross scales beneath. Thumb similar, but the base is shorter. Scales small, granular, subequal above and below. Tail tapering, round, with scales like the body. REPTILES. 203 This genus is most nearly allied to Gehyra, but differs from it in the end of the toes not being compressed. " Amongst fern, and in the forest of the Northern Island." — Dieffenbach. * Femoral pores none. 3. Naultinus elegans. Gray, Zool. Misc., 72. Inhab. " Northern Island, amongst decayed trees, and running about between the fern. Called Kakariki" Thumb clawless ; green, rather paler beneath ; streak along the under lip to the ear, two arched stripes on the top of the head, irregular-shaped spots on each side of the back, hind legs, inter- rupted streak along each side of the body and tail white, with a narrow black edge ; tail with a cross series of compressed larger scales at the base. " Departed spirits are said to transfer themselves into this and the former species, and the natives regard them therefore with a certain dread, calling them Atuas Gods." Dieffenbach. * * Triangular patch of the scales in the front of the vent pierced with a central pore. 4. Naultinus pacificus. — Gray, Zool. Misc., 73. Gecko pacificus, Gray., Brit. Mus. Platydactylus Duvau- celii, Dum. and Bib., Herp. Gen. iii. 312. Pale brown, marbled, and dotted with darker brown, forming four broad, irregular, unequal confluent bands across the back ; a dark streak from the back angle of the eye to the angle of the mouth, and a broad irregular band from the upper part of the back of the eyes to just over the ear. Lower lip with six larger plates on each side the rostral one, the three front largest ; the upper lip with a small roundish scale in the middle just above the rostral plate. Var. 2. Small, with only the two front lateral lower labial plates large. Inhab. New Zealand, Cook's Straits. — Dr. Dieffenbach. "Islands of the Pacific Ocean/'— Mr. S. Stutch- bury, 1830. This species appears to have a more general distribution than the preceding, as we some years ago received a small specimen from Mr. S. Stutchbury, who brought it from one of the islands of the Pacific. It agrees in many points with the P. Duvaucelii of Dumeril, but they describe that species as coming from Bengal. 204 FAUNA OF NEW ZEALAND. 5. Naultinus punctatus. Inhab. New Zealand. — Museum of Haslar Hospital, presented by H. Kelsall, Esq., Surg. R.N. Thumb clawed, dark green, back with very small scattered black specks the size of a granule ; the under side yellow green ; length of body 4 inches; tail broken; toes 5. 5.; claws 5. 5. all acute; toes elongate, unequal, short, the lower joints dilated^ and furnished with a series of cross plates; the last joint rather tapering, flat beneath, triangular above, covered with granular scales ; belly with a fold of skin on each side. The body, limbs, and tail covered with uniform granular scales, the throat with si- milar, and the rest of the under side with rather larger granular scales. The head covered with larger flat polygonal scales, forming small shields over the muzzle. The under side of the base of the tail covered with rather large many-sided smooth scales ; labial plates regular. The scales in the front of the vent, between the thighs, rather larger, each pierced with a pore, form- ing together a triangular spot, and there are two series of pores along the under side of each thigh. The Hemidactylus Oualensis, Dmneriland Bibron, Herp. Gen. iii. 351, t. 28, f. 7, probably belongs to this genus. Fam. AGAMID^E. Genus HATTERIA. Gray, Zool. Misc. 72. Head quadrangular, covered with small scales ; throat with a cross fold ; nape and back with a crest of compressed spines ; body covered with small scales, belly and under side of the tail with large squarish keelless flat scales placed in cross series ; tail com- piessed, triangular, covered with small scales, and with a ridge of large compressed spines; legs strong; toes 5. 5., short, strong, cylindrical, slightly webbed at their base, covered above and below with small scales; claws short, blunt. Femoral pores, none. Pre-anal scales small ; a few of them are pierced in the centre. 6. Hatteria punctata. Gray, Zool. Misr. 72. Gigantic Lizard, Coo&Woy., 3, I. 153,, or Guana. — Polack, N. Z. i. 317. Inhab. New Zealand. Olive ; sides and limbs with minute white specks ; beneath yel- lowish. The spines of the nuchal and dorsal crests yellow, of the caudal brown; the scales of the back, head, tail, and limbs small, REPTILES. 205 granular, nearly uniform ; with irregular folds in the skin, which are fringed at the top with a series of rather larger scales. An oblique ridge of larger scales on each side of the base of the tail, and a few shorter longitudinal ridges of rather smaller ones on each side of the upper part of the tail. There is a young specimen of this species more brightly co- loured in the Museum of Haslar Hospital, Gosport. " I had been apprized of the existence of a large lizard, which the natives called Tuatera, or Narara, with a general name, and of which they were much afraid. But although looking for it at the places where it was said to be found, and offering great rewards for a specimen, it was only a few days before my departure from New Zealand that I obtained one, which had been caught at a small rocky islet called Karewa, which is about two miles from the coast, in the Bay of Plenty, and which had been given by the Rev. W. Stack, in Tauranga, to Dr. Johnson, the colonial sur- geon. From all that I could gather about this Tuatera, it appears that it was formerly common in the islands ; lived in holes, often in sandhills near the sea-shore; and the natives killed it for food. Owing to this latter cause, and no doubt also to the introduction of pigs, it is now very scarce ; and many even of the older resi- dents of the islands have never seen it. The specimen from which the description is taken I had alive, and kept for some time in captivity : it was extremely sluggish, and could be handled without any attempt at resistance or biting." — Dieffenbach. Fam. HYDRIDE. 7. Two-coloured Sea Snake. Pelamys bicolor. Polack, N. Z.,i.318. Inhab. New Zealand, River Hokianga. Polack observes, a native showed Captain Cook a drawing of a guana and a snake: he suspects the latter must have been a conger-eel. N. Z., i. 318. *' Neither sea nor land snakes have ever been seen by me. An English captain tried to introduce (!) the common black snake of New South Wales, but it is said that they died, and frustrated his benevolent design." — Dieffenbach. Fam. TESTUDINID.E. " On the authority of Mr. Charles Heaphy I state here that a small land tortoise was found near the Wanganui River, in Cook's Strait ; the natives never mentioned to me the existence of such an animal." — Dieffenbach. 206 FAUNA OF NEW ZEALAND. Order AMPHIBIA. Polack, i. 318, mentions " toads and frogs as not uncommon, especially near the mountain districts, but he believes they do not differ from the species in Europe," As the species of these animals are very local in their distribu- tion, I have no doubt, when they come to be examined, or spe- cimens of them are sent to Europe for comparison, that they will prove new to science, and different from any hitherto described. " They have never been seen by me." — Dieffenbach. IV. — LIST of FISH hitherto detected on the Coasts of NEW ZEALAND, by JOHN RICHARDSON, M.D., Inspector of Hospitals at Haslar; with the description, by J. E. GRAY, Esq., and Dr. RICHARDSON, of the New Species brought home by Dr. Dieffenbach. Fam. PERCOIDE.E. 1. Serranus lepidopterus. — Butterfly Barber-fish. Rich- ardson, Annals of Natural History, for March, 1842. — (Perca lepidoptera, J. R. Forster, MS. II. 58, apud Bl. Schn., p. 302.) 2. Polyprion cernuum. — Wreck-fish, Cherney, or Jew- fish. C. and V. 3, p. 24, t. 42. (Scisena gadoides, Solaiider MS. Pisces Australise, p. 38. Banks, fig. pict. 2, t. 74. Palo-tera, G. Forster, fig. pict. Bibl. Banks, 2, t. 218. Perca prognathus, J. R. Forster, MS. IV. 19, apud Bl. Schn., p. 301.) 3. Centropristes trutta. — The Kahavai. C. and V. 2, p. 54. (Scisena trutta, G. Forster, fig. pict. 2, t. 210. Perca trutta, J. R. Forster, apud Bl. Schn., p. 542.) Inhabits Queen Charlotte's Sound. 4. Centropristes mulloides. — (Scisena mulloides, Banks, fig. pict. 2, t. 68. Scisena mulloides ft. (sapidis- sima), G. Forster, fig. pict. 2, t. 211.) Inhabits Hetrawaii and Queen Charlotte's Sound. 5. Centropristes sapidissimus. — (Mulloides sapidissimus, FISHES, 207 Solander, Pise. Austr., p. 22. Banks, fig. pict. 2, t. 67.) Inhabits Tegadoo Bay and Tolaga. 6. Aplodactylus meandratus. — Richardson, Zool. Trans. 3, p. 83. (Scisena mseandrata, Banks, fig. pict. 2, t. 65. Sc. Mseandrites, Solander, Pise. Austr., p. 2.) Taken off' Cape Kidnappers. 7. Percis colias. — Coaly Percis, C. and V. 3, p. 273. (Labrus macrocephalus, Solander, Pise. Austr., p. 27. Banks, fig. pict. 2, t. 57. Gadus colias, G. Forster, fig. pict. 2, t. 181. J. R. Forster, MS. II. 36, apud Bl. Schn., p. 54.) Inhabits Queen Charlotte's Sound. 8. Percis nicthemera. — Black and white Percis. C. and V. 3, p. 274. An inhabitant of the Bay of Islands, and perhaps not specifically distinct from the preceding. 9. Uranoscopus maculatus. — Bearded Uranoscope. Richardson, Ann. Nat. Hist, for May, 1842. (Ura- noscopus maculosus, Solander, Pise. Austr., p. 21. U. maculatus, J. R. Forster, apud Bl. Schn., p. 49. G. Forster, fig. pict. 2, t. 176, 177. U. kouripoua, Lesson, Voy. par Duperrey, pi. 18. U. cirrhosus, C. and V. 3, p. 314. U. Forsteri, Id., p. 318.) Frequents Queen Charlotte's Sound, Tolaga, and the Bay of Islands. " Bedee" is stated to be its native name by Forster, and " Kouripooa" by Lesson. 10. Upeneus vlamingii. — C. and V. 3, p. 452. (Labrus calopthalmus, Solander, Pise. Austr., p. 35. Banks, fig. pict. 2, t. 46.) Inhabits Queen Charlotte's Sound. 11. Upeneus porosus. — C. and V. 3, p. 455. Inhabits the rivers. Fam. COTTOIDE^E. 12. Trigla papilionacea. — The Kumu. C. and V. 4, p. 50. (Solander, Pise. Austr., p. 23. Banks, fig. pict. 2, t. 104.) 208 FAUNA OF NEW ZEALAND. Has been taken in Tolaga Bay, at Oporagee, in the Bay of Islands, and on other parts of the coast. 13. Scorp