Best. — Maori Forest Lore. 225 



and does not split so well as the white. It is much inferior as 

 firewood, and the heart is often quite black. This black heart- 

 wood is very tough. Sir George Grey has placed on record two 

 old-time sayings connected with this tree : " He tawa para, he 

 whati noa " (The brash, decayed wood of the tawa breaks easily). 

 This is applied to a person timid in battle, &c. " Ka niahi te 

 tawa nho " (Now is seen the strength of the heart-wood of the 

 tawa) — said of an energetic fighter, &c. 



The tawai tree is plentiful in the high-lying districts, as 

 Kua-tahuna, more especially on the high ranges. Some of these 

 trees are of great size, and the heart-wood thereof is very dur- 

 able. At these high altitudes the tawai supports a great many 

 epiphytical plants, for the humidity of the air is most marked. 

 The principal benefit derived by the Maori from this tree was 

 the fact that the beech mast provided food for the native rat, 

 great numbers of which were trapped in former times. The 

 bark was used in dyeing fibres for weaving purposes ; while the 

 puku tawai, a kind of fungoid growth on the trunk, was used as 

 punk in fire-generating, and as a fire-stick. The puku taiva, a 

 similar growth on the tawa tree, was considered useless for this 

 purpose. 



The tawaka, a species of Agaricus found growing on dead logs 

 or stumps of the tawa, houhi, and mahoe trees, was eaten by the 

 Natives. It is said that when a person has eaten of this food 

 it is not well that he should go into the cultivations of the 

 hamlet, among the gourd-plants, or the fruit of those plants 

 will decay prematurely ; or, should that person go afishing, he 

 will not take a single fish. 



The flowers of the tawari tree are termed wJial'ou, which blos- 

 soms make a brave show in some seasons. In like manner the 

 hinau and some other trees differ much as to the quantity of 

 flowers produced in different seasons. 



The taivhero is found in all parts of the Tuhoe district, and 

 may be said to be the most common tree thereof. Its bark is 

 sometimes used in the dyeing of fibre for making cloaks, &c. 

 Handles for the large stone adzes were made from branches of 

 tawhero. 



The two species of Gaultlieria (67. antipoda and G. oppositijolia) 

 found here seem to be both termed tawiniwini by the Natives. 

 Colenso gives koropuku as a name for a variety of 67. antipoda. 



The name ti is used as a generic term for Cordyline. The 

 following species are found in the Tuhoe district : 1, ti (Cordyline 

 australis) ; 2, ti-kapu (C. Banksii) ; 3, toi (Cordyline indivisa) ; 

 4, ti-para (? C. terminalis). C. pumilio I know not in this dis- 

 trict, while the ti-tawhiti is doubtful. The latter is said to be 

 distinct from the ti-para, and was in former times a prized article 

 8— Trans. 



