76 Transactions. — Miscellaneous. 



The rohe is a kind of bag-net used by fishers of eels and 

 kokopu. It is not termed a kupenga, presumably for the rea- 

 son that it is not used for catching fish, but merely for holding 

 them when caught. It is funnel-shaped, and the big end is 

 fastened to a circular hoop of pirita (supplejack). It is made 

 by netting (ta) strips of flax. The rohe is placed just before 

 the fisher, and the lower end of it is in the water, while the 

 upper part is above water. It is kept in position by means 

 of two cords attached to the hoop and to sticks or branches 

 by the stream-side. When a fish is secured it is swung up 

 and dropped into the rohe, which really acts as a fish-basket. 

 The term hi denotes fishing with a line (and hook or bob), but 

 must be followed by ika (fish), or the name of the particular 

 fish — as hi tuna, &c. — inasmuch as the original meaning of hi 

 seems to have been " to draw up." Hooks were not used for 

 taking fresh- water fish. 



Kokopti are cooked in a tapora, a sort of small basket 

 (though not called a kete) made of woven leaves of the mauri 

 or kokaha plants. This is lined with fronds of the rereti fern 

 and leaves of the mauku (Asplenium bulbiferum) which have 

 been stripped from the stalk (tuaka) or midrjb. The fish are 

 placed in this without any cleaning, and covered over with 

 puwha, or any leaves used as greens. The package is then 

 tied and placed in the steam-oven for cooking. The puwha, 

 rereti, and mauku are all eaten with the fish. 



When a party start out on a night-fishing expedition they 

 light their torches as they go forth. If a member of the party 

 stops by the wayside that is a r>uhore (ara ka noho ki te mimi), 

 or sign of non-success, and that person will not catch any fish. 

 Should a person run his or her head into a spider's web on the 

 track that also is an omen of non-success. Such persons will 

 not attempt then to catch fish, but will carry the torches for 

 the rest. If the first fish seen is not caught, but escapes, that 

 is a puhore for the whole party, who will return without going 

 any further. But if the first-seen fish is caught, then the 

 person who caught it will at once throw it aside, not back into 

 the stream, for that would be another puhore. His object in 

 throwing it away is that he may be lucky in his fishing, and 

 to insure the puhore afflicting only those who encountered the 

 ill omens (kia man te puhore ki ona hoa i tu tohu anake). 

 There are innumerable customs and superstitions pertaining 

 to fishing and fowling, but they must be reserved for a future 

 paper. 



In torchlight netting of kokopu the fishers usually proceed 

 up stream in a straggling manner, but when returning they 

 come down stream all abreast ; because though most of those 

 fish not secured by the fishers have concealed themselves, yet 

 it is said that the para is attracted by the disturbance of the 



