282 Transactions. 



wife would die — that is, be slain by black magic. Hence this couple were 

 much disturbed : they washed neither to die nor yet lose their buggy. At 

 this juncture the godless pakeha stepped in, and, with incisive vocabulary 

 and impious disregard for gods or demons, broke up the game. 



Tarapo. — Williams gives this as a name of the kakapo. Akuhata te 

 Kaha, of Tuhoe, says it was a forest bird, smaller than a kakapo, and no 

 longer seen. Te Pou-whare states that tarapo was the name of the female 

 miromiro. 



Tataeto ; syn., Tataeko, Tataihore, Tatangaeko, Popokotea, Tatariheko 

 (Certhiparus alhicapiUus ; Whitehead). — These birds are still seen in the 

 Rua-tahuna district, though not numerous as of yore. I have come across 

 flocks of them in remote places there — or, rather, they have come across 

 me. They move in flocks, flitting quickly from tree to tree. Natives say 

 that the tieke and tike birds join flocks of whiteheads and accompany them ; 

 a few will be seen with each such flock. A flock of whiteheads will some- 

 times set on to a ruru and chase it about, even as the koko does. 



A flock of whiteheads is termed a ta tataeto by Tuhoe and taki tataeko 

 by Ngati-Awa. Ngati-Kahungunu, of Te Wairoa, call this bird tatai-hore. 



Tieke {Creadion carunculatus ; .Saddleback). — This bird has entirely dis- 

 appeared from the forests of this district, albeit there are here hundreds 

 of thousands of acres of wild forest lands, within the shades of which man 

 is but seldom seen. The Natives say that bees have destroyed the tieke by 

 occupying the holes and hollow trees where the bird was wont to breed. 

 This is absurd. Such holes and hollow trees are here by the million in this 

 great forest, but bees' hives are scarcer than in any other part of the Island 

 I have camped in. In the fair vale of Whare-kopae, Poverty Bay, I found 

 nine hives within half a mile of my tent. To find one in the Tuhoean forest 

 would need about a day's search. 



When going a-hunting or fowling, if you hear the cry of a tieke on the 

 right-hand side of the track it is a marie, or token of good luck — you will 

 be successful ; but if you hear it to the left, that is a puhore, or sign of non- 

 success. 



At Repanga, or Cuvier Isle, there are said to be two tieke birds, named 

 Takereto and Mumuhau, which are atua, or supernatural beings. They 

 are claimed by the migrants of both the " Matatua " and " Arawa " canoes. 



In taking the tieke — for all forest birds were food for these bushmen — 

 in some cases a fire was kindled. This is said to have attracted the birds. 



Tike {Pogonornis cincta ; Stitch-bird). — The male bird is termed tihe- 

 wera. Its plumage is described by Natives as being whew manaeka (? yellow- 

 ish-red). The female is called tihe-ioai. This bird disappeared years ago 

 from the forests of this district. It was taken by means of the puaka 

 snare-trap. 



Titi. — This sea-bird was formerly found in large numbers on the rugged 

 ranges of this district, where they had breeding-places to which they came 

 every year. The Natives used to visit these places every year to take the 

 birds, both young and old. These were preserved in fat in great numbers. 

 They were placed in calabashes by the inland people, but those who had 

 access to the coast used vessels made of a large species of seaweed or kelp. 

 These latter vesssels were called poha. The advent of the Norway rat 

 put an end to this food-supply, for they devoured the young birds ; hence 

 the titi ceased to come to these parts to breed. 



Places where these birds were taken by fowlers are known as ahi titi 

 {titi fires), because a fire was always kindled on such occasions. The tops 



