276 Transactions. 



and forced to fly to the rugged Whakapunake Mountain for refuge, and 

 where many of them were slain by the Ure-wera (Tuhoe) raiders ; but they 

 saw no moa in those wilds. Colenso never met with the moa in Maori legend, 

 save in that of Ngahue, given above. He collected nine old-time aphorisms 

 concerning the moa, and a few references in poetry, but very little else. 

 There was no more moa. 



" Na te moa i takahi te rata " (The moa trampled on the rata), or " He 

 rata te rakau i takahia e te moa," is an old saying that I first heard from 

 Ngati-Hau, of Whanganui. That tree sometimes grows far from upright, 

 and is said to have been forced into that position by a moa treading on it. 

 Sir George Grey has preserved " He mihiau te kohatu i taona ai te moa " 

 (The mihiau stone was used for cooking the moa). 



The expression moa kai hau, or "air-eating moa," is sometimes met with 



in poetry, as — 



Kia noho atu au i konei 



Hai moa kai hau ki Whakapunake ra. 



Moho. — Tutaka states that the moho was a flightless forest-bird, but is 

 now extinct ; also that the mohorangi was a flying-bird found in open 

 country, in fern and swamp. Williams gives moho-fatatai as the land- 

 rail {H ifpotcenidia philippensis). The moho-patatai, says Paitini, is a long- 

 legged bird with a small body. It is no longer seen in the Tuhoe district. 

 The last one here seen was caught at Te Whaiti about the year 1890 or 

 1892. 



Momotawai. — Given by Williams as the bush- wren {Acanthidositta chloris). 

 I have been told by Natives that momotawai, momoutu, tititipounamu, and 

 toirua are all names for the bush-wren. But others say that the momoutu 

 is smaller than the momotawai, and the latter has disappeared, while the 

 former is still seen ; also, that both are distinct from the toirua and tititi- 

 pounamu. Another ruffian says, " The toirua resembles the momoutu, 

 but is larger, and has no tail. It is the same as momotawai." Te Pouwhare 

 also says that the toirua and momotawai are one and the same bird. The 

 toirua is said to be also known as jnpitori. 



To take the momoutu the fowler imitates the cry of the bird, and takes 

 a leaf in his fingers, which leaf he shakes and twirls about. This attracts 

 the bird, so that it comes close enough to be caught by hand, even perching 

 on the hand of the operator. Natives say that it mistakes the twirling 

 leaf for its own young. It is a dark-coloured bird. 



Nakonako. — See under Koekoea. 



Nonoroheke. — See under Riroriro. 



Oho ; syn., Oho-mauri. — Given in Williams's list as the land-rail, same 

 as moho-patatai, &c. My Maori notes say : A bird of light-coloured, marked 

 or patterned plumage. A difficult bird to take. It has a habit of appearing 

 suddenly by the roadside as one passes : hence its name, "the startler." 



Pakura. — See Pukeko. 



Papango [Fuligula novce-zealandice). — Black teal. 



Papua or Papu. — A species of kawau (cormorant). 



Parera {Anas superciliosa ; Grey Duck). — A flock of parera is termed 

 kawai parera when in the water, but pokai parera when flying. When young 

 ducklings take to the water, which they do early in life, they are called 

 kawaiwai. When the parera and ivhio are moulting they are extremely 

 fat, and were in former times caught in large numbers with dogs and even 

 by hand at such times. At other times they were snared. A long cord, 



