Downes. — Eels and Eel-weirs. 307 



small blue fish rather full of bones ; inanga, a fish about 5 in. long, almost 

 transparent, with white belly ; atutahi, a larger variety, or probably a larger 

 fish of the same family ; papanoko (sometimes papanuku) and panokonoko, 

 varieties of kokopu ; titihimi, the smelt (sometimes iigaure when young and 

 takeke when large) ; mawhitiwhiti, the shrimp ; and upokororo, sometimes 

 the grayling and sometimes the name given to a small fish about 6 in. in 

 length that is taken only during flood- time. The latter has red fins, and is 

 said to be rather delicate in flavour. All these fish are boiled whole, and, in 

 eating, the flesh is drawn off the bone by a sucking action of the mouth, 

 the head and bone being thrown behind over the shoulder. The water in 

 which they are boiled is used as soup. 



It is said that the kokopu and other small fish are not as plentiful as 

 formerly, the introduced trout being responsible for the decrease. About 

 the year 1880 my father was engaged in a survey near Parikino, Whanganui 

 River, employing natives as linesmen, who one Sunday brought a full sack 

 of these little mixed fish to the camp. It was only one of three that had 

 been taken that day on the Parikino Rapid. 



In Best's paper already referred to there will be found a great deal of 

 information dealing with these " small fry " ; also in Illustrations for White's 

 Ancient History of the Maori there are a few plates illustrating various ways 

 of catching and preserving inanga, piharau, and tuna, but the methods as 

 pictured are not practised in this district, so will not be touched upon in 

 this paper. 



In Mr. Cowan's Story of Kimble Bent mention is made of the Taranaki 

 natives catching piharau by torch-light ; but this method also is unknown 

 here now. SI 



Eel-weirs. jgj 



Eel-weirs were in many cases assigned proper names in former times, 

 as also were sea-fishing grounds and rocks. 



The pa-tuna, or eel- weir, is of two or three types, one for small streams 

 and others for rivers. I will endeavour to describe those I am familiar 

 with. 



The Pa-tuna for a Small Stream. 



The timber used in its construction is kopuka (white manuka), if procur- 

 able ; otherwise the ordinary manuka is used. It is carried as near the 

 site as possible, together with the rest of the required material, and then 

 each stake is carefully prepared by two men for driving, one holding and 

 turning, the other sharpening and trimming off the head so as to prevent 

 splitting in driving. The stakes are given a long tapering point, and as 

 soon as they are prepared they are carried to the canoes. In one I saw 

 built at Moumahaki a full day was spent by a company of eight men in 

 trimming these stakes, together with the horizontal logs, which are of totara, 

 and are carefully stripped of sap and have heads formed at the heavy end 

 of the timbers, which are placed down-stream. The lashings are all of split 

 supplejack (kareao), and each stick is securely tied by crossing and recross- 

 ing the vine in the form of the letter X. Driving the prepared stakes and 

 lashing on the horizontal timbers took the company another ten hours. 



The Moumahaki Stream is between 30 ft. and 40 ft. wide at the chosen 

 site, a spot where the banks rise sheer out of the water, and the most con- 

 fined spot to be found. Fences are built out from both banks at opposite 

 points, running down-stream and gradually converging to a jDoint. These 

 fences are about 30 ft. long, and they close to within 18 in. or so of each 



