498 Tr ansae lions . — Miscellaneous . 



Maori camps numerous pieces of fine sandstone shaped so as 

 to exhibit cutting-edges suitable, and probably used, for this 

 purpose, though probably only in cutting the smaller objects. 

 Dr. Shortland gives the word mania as representing thin 

 laminae of sandstone used for cutting the pounamu, and says 

 the natives fasten them in frames after the manner of a stone- 

 cutter's saw^. These must have been something like that 

 represented in Schliemann's " Ilios " (p. 583) as a flint saw. 

 Much rarer are implements known to collectors as "hard 

 cutters," made of trap or some similar rock. If these were 

 used, as apparently they were, it must have been with sand 

 and water. 



I have been told, and can readily believe, that a great deal 

 of cutting was done with wood and wetted sand, and Dr. 

 Shortland in the documents set out later confirms this. The 

 Eev. Eichard Taylor, in " Te Ika a Maui," refers to the use of 

 greenstone wherewith to cut greenstone: "He saws it by 

 rubbing the edge of one slab on another, and for this purpose 

 suspends a calabash of water with a small hole in the bottom 

 over the stone he is working so that it drops continuously but 

 slowly. He then takes some of the finest quartz-sand, which 

 he continually adds to the groove he is making. Thus, by 

 patience and perseverance he succeeds in sawing it up." 



Brunner, who first explored the West Coast in 1846, makes 

 frequent reference to a kind of micaceous slate used on that 

 coast for cutting and polishing greenstone — probably the kiri- 

 paka of Stack. He says it is found in the bed of one of the 

 rivers of that coast, and in quality resembles a Newcastle 

 stone, though somewhat closer in grain and texture, with a 

 fine cutting quality. He carried two large pieces of greenstone 

 and some polishing-stones with him on his return ; and on an 

 exploring journey lasting 560 days, during which he never 

 heard English spoken, he found polishing greenstone a great 

 amusement on wet days. 



In cutting a slab in two the ancient workman lightened 

 his labours by working his cuts from both sides, and, when 

 they nearly met, knocking the piece off. The rough break 

 is sometimes a third of an inch through, or even more ; and 

 to effect this considerable force, or a heavy blow, must have 

 been necessary. 



Major Heaphy, who was Brunner's companion on one of 

 his expeditions, says, " In order to make a mere, a stone is 

 sought of a flat, shingly shape, say, of the size, and roughly of 

 the shape, of a large octavo book. Among the primitive rocks 

 of the Middle Island stones are not wanting of sufficient hard- 

 ness to cut even the pounamu ; and the Arahura natives lay 

 in a large stock of thin pieces of a sharp quartzose slate, with 

 the edges of which, worked saw-fashion, and with plenty of 



