Beattib. — Nature-lore of th,e Southern Maori. 69 



Ducks were snared by placing nets across streams at the height to 

 intercept the birds' heads as they swam along. One morning Mr. Gourlay 

 saw a duck and all its brood caught in one. Some years ago he got his 

 wife to make him an old-fashioned net for snaring ducks, and it was quite 

 efficacious. There was no fuss nor worry with the snare — the gun was 

 simply not in it with the noiseless net. 



The Maori used to go down to the swamp at Menzies Ferry and catch 

 matuku. (bittern) by laying snares for the birds' feet on the paths they 

 had made through the rushes. The bitterns made a booming noise at 

 times, and the Maori said the birds did this when catching eels. The 

 Maori caught pukaki (swamp-hens) in the same manner. 



He had never seen, or heard of, the Maori catching kotuku (white 

 heron), as that bird was so rare, but it could no doubt be caught in the 

 same way as the bittern. 



Snares were also laid on the feeding-flats of the paradise ducks at 

 certain times. When the birds were moulting and could not flv the 

 Maori would get into the swamps after them and run them down. 



He had seen the Maori catch tui by covering a pool with branches, 

 leaving an open space for the birds to drink. Snares were set round this 

 open place and tui a-plenty were bagged in a good season. 



To catch kaka, a sq-uare, 8 ft. by 10 ft., say, was thatched over, the 

 fowlers waiting underneath with a decoy kaka. The cries of this' bird 

 brought many others, and as they settled on the corner posts the snares 

 affixed thereto made them captives. These were not killed at once, but 

 added to the collection below. The bird could gnaw through green flax, 

 so their legs were fastened with dry flax amid an appalling din. When 

 enough were caught the birds were killed and preserved in kelp bags. To 

 save the fat for this purpose the birds were cooked in a wooden trough 

 with hot stones. Weka were often cooked in the same way. 



• 



Various Birds and Fishes. 



Weka (woodhens) were caught by the familiar red rag and snare 

 method. The snarer sat still, and as he caught each bird he bit the back 

 of its neck to kill it and threw it behind him. This saved him wringing 

 its neck, and was not only quicker, but it did not alarm or disturb the 

 other birds. 



The Maori also killed the titi (mutton-birds) by biting the neck. There 

 was a knack in catching them. He had heard that these birds would tear 

 your hands to pieces with their beaks and feet if you tried to Wring their 

 necks. 



Kiwi were never at Tuturau, although they had frequented the Hokanui 

 Hills. He had heard it said that the Maori would wait behind trees, and 

 as the bird came pecking along he would hit it on the head with a stick. 



By the Mataura River, in the South Wyndham Bush, there used to be a 

 shaggery, and he had seen a Maori bring away about two or three hundred 

 young shags caught just before they were ready to fly. The big birds 

 were too rank to eat. The Maori would not touch hawks — they were 

 probably too rank also. 



In regard to fish, the Maori caught kanakana (lampreys) in the river 

 at Tuturau. They built a wing-dam of logs, stakes, branches, and scrub 

 across the river, except for a few feet where the " pot " was. The dam 

 was anchored with big stones and the material woven with flax ^o as 

 to stand big floods in the river. He had seen a " pot " 8 ft. wide by 3 ft. 



