\^ Best. — Maori Forest Lore. 271 



He Ako Koko- . , 



1. 



Uia te niannhiri me ko wai. Uia te manuhiri me ko wai. Ko Tu koe, ko Rongo 

 koe, ko \Miakamau-tarawa. Tahia te wananga — e. Ko INIatiti, ko Matiti-kuia, ko 

 Matiti-aro. 



2. 



Ko Tupato, ko Hikairo, te Kviti, te weia, te rapa, te haua. E, ko Apanui, Apamii 

 — e ! Alau ki te hoe. Tutaki — e ! Man ki te hoe. Ko te hoe nui, ko te hoe roa, ko 

 te hoe na Matatua. Tikina ra, kaua te tai o Pakihi, kai hika mokai ko koe. Moi, 

 moi — e ! Haere mai ! Ehe ! Ehe ! Kai tiiwha ! 



3. 



E ai ana, tataki ana te waha o to puta. Ka riire te wahine — e ! Te wahine takiri 

 tohetohe. e rere tana. Korihi ake te ata. Karangatia, e ! Haere mai ! Haere mai, 

 e te manuhiri tua-rangi. Kaore he kai o te kainga. Kai tawhiti te kai. Moi, moi — e ! 

 Haere mai ! Ehe ! Ehe ! Kai tinvha ! 



4. 



Koka — e ! Tahia te marae. Koka — e ! Me tohutohu tu te kai. Me tohu te rua 

 iti. Me tohu te nia rahi. Koi tae ki te whitu, me te waru. Tukutuku karere ki raro 

 ki te whakahawea na. E ! Haere mai ! E te manuhiri tviarangi. Kaore he kai o te 

 kainga. Kai tawhiti te kai. Moi, moi, e ! Haere mai ! Ehe 1 Ehe! Kai tuwha ! 



5. 



Ko te when, ko te whare. Te whare patahi — e ! Hui te rangiora. E rongo ki 

 waho, e ! Haere mai ! Haere mai ! E te manuhiri tuarangi. Kaore he kai o te 

 kainga. Kai tawhiti te kai. Moi, moi — e ! Haere mai ! E)he ! Ehe ! Kai tuwha. 



On comparing a number of versions of the above Icoho speeches I find 

 that part 5 is the latter portion of part 1, and should be added thereto. It 

 will be seen that these birds were taught to cry a welcome to visitors, and 

 to give orders that the plaza of the hamlet be swept and made presentable. 



Tamati Ranapiri, of Ngati-Raukawa, states that Maoris know the sexes 

 of some birds, and can distinguish them — i.e., the haha, kereru, tui (koko), 

 kokomako (syn., rearea, kopara), and huia. He says also that manu tute 

 (quarrelsome birds) and manu tawpua are always males, no matter of what 

 species. 



Manu tute is a term applied to birds that bully and drive other birds 

 away from a food-bearing tree, as the koko are sometimes seen to drive 

 pigeons away from a tree {tutetute = to jostle). 



Manu whakakenakena is an expression applied to a bird when it causes 

 its neck-feathers to stand up like a frill, as the koko sometimes does. 



The Maoris have a belief that when the koko becomes excessively fat, 

 as it sometimes does, it is in the habit of pecking its breast so as to cause 

 much of the surplus fat to exude. I must decline to guarantee the truth 

 of this statement. 



That the koko is a somewhat strenuous and interfering sort of creature 

 we know well. It has not much use for birds of other species. Some months 

 ago, when ascending a bush-clad hill near my camp I heard a series of angry 

 shrieks and (apparently) shocking oaths, and presently came upon a strange 

 scene. A gentle ruru (morepork owl) was standing on the ground, and a 

 koko was wheeling and making swift dashes at it, and evidently trying to 

 frighten or drive it away by means of these attacks and discordant shrieks. 

 At last the ruru fled down a gully, pursued by its assailant, who again attacked 

 it as it sat on a branch, and the owl again fled. This process was repeated 

 until I got tired of following them, and probably longer. The owl seemed 

 to make no attempt to retaliate or defend itself. 



