Downes. — Eels and Eel-weirs. 299 



According to local natives, the first of the tuna-heke to go down the 

 rivers is tuna-ngahuru, an eel with a thick but soft greeny-brown skin 

 seemingly sprinkled with fine gold-dust. A special feature is the large eye, 

 which can be moved independently, with an outer ring of blue, an iris of 

 gold, and a black pupil. The word ngahuru sometimes means " ten," some- 

 times " fruitful " or " abundant," also " harvest-time " and " autumn " ; 

 and this name may be given because of the quantities in which this eel is 

 sometimes taken. There is a small pa-tuna built in the Moumahaki, about 

 a chain up from where it joins the Waitotara River (see Plate XXIII). This 

 stream is fed by a small lake-system, called Manga-whio, far up the valley, 

 and it is from this source that the eels apparently journey. It was finished 

 on the 1st April of this year (1917), and was just in time to catch the 

 annual heke, or migration. About a dozen eels were taken the first night, 

 and this number gradually rose to forty by the 12th, when the first fresh 

 took place. As soon as the water rose about 1 ft. the number imme- 

 diately increased till it reached over eight hundred for a twenty-four-houxs 

 catch. This lasted for only two or three days, when the numbers gradually 

 diminished, and by the 20th the migration of tuna-ngahuru was over. 



The natives say that it is almost useless to set a hinaki on a moonlight 

 night, and also during the daytime ; but when the water is at all muddy 

 or discoloured the eels come down in hundreds during the season, day and 

 night alike, except that at night-time they are much more numerous and 

 swim nearer the 'surface of the water, as proved by the fact that in the 

 daytime the bottom net takes the most fish, and during the night the top 

 one ; for whenever the water is deep enough one net is set above another 

 at the mouth of an eel-weir, as will be explained later. When the eels are 

 making this mad dash for the ocean the baskets are examined every hour 

 or so, and, judging by varying success, it seems to me that the migration 

 begins shortly after twilight sets in, is at its height from about 10 p.m. till 

 2 a.m., and then gradually dwindles down towards dawn as the eels seek 

 hiding-places for another day. With the gathering darkness of the next 

 night they once again take up their swift glide down-stream, and so on till 

 the ocean is reached. 



With tuna-ngahuru another eel is taken, called tuna-hau (Whanganui) or 

 tuna-hao (Waitotara), which can easily be distinguished by its silvery belly. 

 Other names for these silver-bellied or allied eels are puhi and pango. 

 I must confess that I can detect but little difference between the two eels 

 tuna-ngahuru and tuna-hau. I selected one of each from a large catch on 

 the 12th April : ngahuru was very dark-skinned, almost black, and hau 

 light-coloured and silvery ; yet on the following morning when both were 

 dead they were scarcely distinguishable, both having returned to the colours 

 as first described. The natives are aware of this peculiarity. One person 

 explained it to me by likening tuna-hau to a photographic proof that I had 

 given him a few days previous — light and bright at the time, but quite 

 black a few hours afterwards. Both these eels are very difficult to skin ; 

 indeed, the skin cannot be removed without tearing away a portion of the 

 flesh, which is somewhat pink. 



Another of the tuna-heke, or migrating eels, is the tuna-riri (Whangaehu) 

 or tuna-rere (Whanganui), sometimes called putaiore — a blue-black eel with 

 large pectoral fins, rather small mouth and teeth, flat head, tail rather 

 broader than the usual type, and blue eyes resembling those of a sea-fish. 

 The skin is very hard, and absolutely refuses to be removed. This eel is 

 very lively when caught, and is said to be able to jump out of a canoe, 



