Best. — Food Products of Tuhoeland. 73 



ting is done over a small flat stick, termed a papa kupenga. 

 It is 6 in. to Sin. in length and about fin. in width for the 

 Jcokopu nets. It is used in order to insure regularity in the 

 size of the mesh. This papa is slipped along as the work 

 progresses. Nets with a belly (ngake) to them, as the large 

 nets for sea-fish, are commenced in the middle. Two sticks 

 are placed upright in the ground ; to these a cross piece on 

 the top is attached, and to this piece the net being made 

 is attached. The first row netted — i.e., the Juki, or rib — is 

 called the ara luhakamata. The net for the above-described 

 frame is made to fit the same, so that it fits tightly over 

 it, and, when fastened to the tutu, that and the titoko keep 

 the net taut and in position. The cord round the top of 

 the net is bound to the tutu by a lashing (aho zvhakamau), 

 except a short space left free on one side to enable the 

 fisher to grasp the tutu in his hand when using the net. 

 This style of hand-net is termed a kupenga titoko. A speci- 

 men may be seen in the Auckland Museum. 



In netting a bellied net the desired shape is attained by 

 the mata whiti* (skipped mesh) process. This has the same 

 effect on the shape of the net as the tihoi process has in 

 weaving a cloak, as described in a former paper. 



Another style of net used for taking the kokopu is that 

 known as a kape, which is used by men. It differs from 

 the kupenga titoko in form, and it is made of dressed flax- 

 fibre. It does not narrow to the bottom like a woman's net, 

 nor is the tutu rounded in any way, two of the angles being 

 obtuse and two acute ; hence one end of the frame, and 

 necessarily also of the net, is wider than the other. This 

 net is fastened to the end of a short pole, the free end of 

 which is gripped by the fisher. The narrow end of the net 

 is towards the user, and to this narrow end is attached the 

 mouth of the ngake, a small net which serves the purpose 

 of a fish-bag, for when a fish is scooped up in the main 

 net the fisher raises the same and causes the fish to slip 

 down into the ngake, where it remains until the fisher quits 

 work or the ngake becomes full. Probably the above descrip- 

 tion is not very clear, but I hope to be able to secure one of 

 these nets for the Museum ere long. 



These nets are used at night, it being useless to try to 

 catch the wily kokopu with them in daylight. The first thing 

 done is to provide torches of the resinous mapara wood, strips 

 of this being tied together for the purpose of making a torch, 

 which is termed a rama,\ hence the terms for taking kokopu 



* Also termed mata whahapalieke . 



f The verb is tirama, to look for with a torch, &c. This is a good 

 «xample of ti as a causative prefix. 



