Downes. — Eels and Eel-weirs. 313 



The Utu. a Weir for taking Piharau [Lampreys). 



This is built at right angles from the shore, and is built on dry ground by 

 the side of a rapid, being only operated during flood-time (sec Plate XXVII. 

 figs. 1 and 2). It is like the pa-tuna, a fence built with closely driven stakes 

 and horizontal cross-timbers, heavily matted or thatched on the up-river 

 side, and strongly braced on both up- and down-stream sides. As the utu 

 has to stand the full force of flood-waters, the bracing is exceptionally 

 strong, upper and lower rows being thrown out at an .ingle from both 

 horizontal stays on each side. Strong as they are, they seldom last more 

 than a season. The photographs in Plate XXVTI were taken at Parikino, 

 Whanganui River, about five years ago. but of the original not a vestige 

 now remains. 



The fence is constructed so that the water is blocked at regular spacings, 

 usually about 5 ft. wide, and can escape at alternate spaces of about 2 ft. 

 The up-stream braces are fixed so as to lead the water towards the open 

 parts, as is shown by the illustration. The matting is of bracken and 

 manuka brush— principally bracken. Posts are usually fixed below the 

 fence each side of the water-channel to hold the poha, the circular vine of 

 which for this style of weir is generally attached to a forked piece of wood 

 resembling an inverted Y, or to two pieces of straight wood spliced and 

 tied together as an inverted V (see fig. 8). On the down-stream side a sort 



Fig. 8. — Poha frames for large pu-hnui or utu. 



of floor is laid of manuka or fern, pressed down with thin manuka poles, 

 which are held in position by pegs driven across them both ways. 



The piharau congregate in the slack water immediately behind the wall 

 part of the fence, but directly they attempt to go through the weir-opening 

 they meet the full force of the swollen current and are thrown back into 

 the nets. 



Names of the utu parts are as follows : The stakes are called pou ; the 

 top horizontal pole, huahua ; the second horizontal pole, ngakau ; the 

 braces, noko ; the blocked part of fence, pawai : the opening, ngutu : the 

 floor, whariki ; the poles holding down the floor, tapatu : the crossed pegs 

 holding down the poles, tarapi. 



Hinaki. 



Eel-baskets, or hinaki. as they are called, are of several shapes, sizes, 

 and patterns. They are hard or flexible, regular in construction, and as a 

 rule cone-shaped. They are small at each end, bulging out in the middle, 



