Best. — Maori Forest Lore. 279 



is half-concealed within a shelter of branches or fern-fronds. A call- 

 leaf is also used by fowlers. These birds are preserved in fat in great 

 numbers in the interior of Tuhoeland. They are not carefully plucked — 

 many feathers are left on — and they are not cleaned. But that matters 

 not. The hardy Tuhoean bush-folk crunch up the birds — head, bones, 

 inside, remaining feathers, and all — with great zest. But the pakeha looketh 

 sideways at this delicacy. 



Piopio ; syn., Koropio {Turnagra tanagra ; North Island Thrush). — 

 The North Island thrush is almost gone from the forests of Tuhoeland. 

 There are said to be some still in the Parahaki district, a wild uninhabited 

 tract of rough forest country but seldom visited by Natives, and which but 

 few Europeans have penetrated. These birds are said to have been numerous 

 in former times all over the Tuhoe district, and fowlers used to take them 

 in considerable numbers, attracting them by means of a lure-call. A leaf 

 was generally used whereby to make most of these lure-calls. The plumage 

 of this bird is described by Natives as pakaJca, or ivhero popouri, in regard 

 to colour. (See Pohowera.) 



Pipitori. — Said to be another alias of the toirua. 



Pipiwharauroa. — See under Koekoea. 



Pitoitoi. — See Pihere. 



Piwaiwaka ; syn., Tiwaiwaka, Piwakawaka, Tiwakawaka, Tirakaraka, 

 Hirairaka (Pied Fantail). — This is the bird that caused the death of Maui, 

 the hero who endeavoured to gain eternal life for man, and failed at the 

 task, as many others have. In this and some other myths birds are alluded 

 to as Te Tini o te Hakuturi, though it would sometimes appear that the 

 term is applied to fairies. In like manner the expression Tini o te Mahoihoi 

 is sometimes explained by Natives as being a sort of general term for birds, 

 though others state that it is applied to plants, &c. 



Pohowera. — I have heard this name applied to the piopio, but I do not 

 know that it is a genuine name for that bird. Pohoivera is certainly the 

 name of a sea-bird. This bird is also found a certain distance inland at 

 times. If its nest is found in a kumnra cultivation the eggs are carefully 

 counted, for it is, or was, believed that the field will produce twenty baskets 

 of kumara (sweet potatoes) for each egg the nest contains. 



Porete. — This is the most common name for the parrakeet among the 

 Tuhoe Tribe. (See under Kakariki.) 



Pukeko ; syn., Pakura {Porphyno melanonotus ; Swamp-hen). — These 

 birds were never numerous in the Tuhoe district, which is essentially a forest 

 country, the realm of Tane. I have not yet seen this bird hereabouts. In 

 former times they were numerous in the Ngati-Awa district, which contains 

 a great area of swamp-lands. They were snared in a similar manner to that 

 employed in taking ducks, except that the apparatus was fixed on land. 

 A long cord was stretched tightly from stake to stake, and from this cord 

 hung many loop snares, at such a height above ground that a pukeko, in 

 walking, w^ould be likely to thrust its head into the loops. The expression 

 kawau moe roa, oi "long-slumbering shag," was applied to all such snares 

 as were so left, unattended by the fowler, for the birds to catch themselves 

 in. It was also applied to eel-pots and all such nets as are left in the water. 



The pakura, or pukeko, was a troublesome bird to the Maori agriculturalist, 

 for it entered the fields at night and scratched out and ate the tubers of 

 the kumara (sweet potato). 



As we have seen, the pakura and kokako are sprung from a mythical 

 being known as Hine-wairua-kokako, a tipua, or supernatural being. Say& 



