Best. — Maori Forest Lore. 273 



plumes were known by several names, the three kinds used for the above 

 purpose being the ivhaitiri, tatara, and titapu (or rau o titapu). The tatara 

 were the outside plumes. Another Native states that the bird has four 

 of these prized long plumes in each wing : the first one is called a kapu, and 

 the other three are kira. Women were not allowed to wear these plumes : 

 they were only permitted to wear the shorter ones, which had a distinctive 

 name. If a woman were to wear one of the long plumes, all her hair would 

 fall off. Or, as another Native put it, if a man wearing kotuku plumes is 

 sitting among us as we partake of food, no woman may come and join in 

 the meal. If one does so, then all her hair will fall off. But if the plume- 

 wearer takes it out of his hair and lays it down, then women may join in 

 the meal. These hair-shedding episodes must have been truly annoying 

 to the fair sex of neolithic New Zealand. 



Tutaka states that the titapu was a very tapu object. Perhaps that 

 was why it acted as a depilatory. 



The aive kotuku are even now much prized. These are very fine and 

 graceful feathers, of delicate texture and appearance, that overlap the 

 tail-feathers of the kotuku. 



Kukurutoki ; syn., Toetoe, &c. {Sphenoeacus punctatus ; Fern-bird). -^This 

 bird is usually termed toetoe by the Tuhoe Tribe, and kukurutoki by Ngati- 

 Awa. It is seen flitting among the fern (bracken) and about the edges 

 of swamps. Its ordinary cry is rendered by the Maori as " Te, te, te I " 

 but it has other cries which are regarded as tokens of approaching good 

 or bad fortune by Natives. For this bird is a manu tohu. By its cry we 

 can foretell the success or failure of an expedition, or hunting-trip, or kai 

 taonga {muru) raid. If you hear the toetoe cry " Kore ti, kore ti ! " you 

 will not be successful — not at all. That cry is a puhore (token of non- 

 success). But if the cry of that bird is " Toro ki, toro ki, toro ki f Kuri, 

 kuri ! " that is a sign of good luck : you will gain your object. When its 

 cry resembles " Kuri ivhatia I " that is a sign of disaster or death ; while 

 the cry " Kuri ora ! " is a token of life, peace, and prosperity. 



Matapu. — A large bird, says my informant, of black (or dark-coloured) 

 plumage. It is like a kaivau in appearance, but has a shorter neck. It 

 frequents forest-streams. 



Matuku [Botnurus pceciloptilus ; Bittern). — Sometimes called matuku- 

 hu-repo, because its peculiar booming cry is heard in swamps. Several 

 auguries are drawn from the cry of this bird. Thus it gives notice of an 

 approaching wet season, when floods are to be many. 



Old Pio, of Awa, rambles on anent birds in his usual style : " In the 

 tenth month (April) the sun changes its course and returns to the ocean, 

 to his winter wife, Hine-takurua (Winter Maiden). The sun has many 

 descendants out on the ocean. These are Hine-karoro (origin and personifi- 

 cation of the karoro, or black-billed gull), the next born being Hine-tara 

 (the tara, or tern) ; the next is Hine-tore. The last born of that lot was 

 Punga, the origin of lizards. This Punga also had Haere-nui, then Noho- 

 tumutumu (origin of the kawau), then Moe-tahuna (origin of the parera, 

 duck). The next born after Punga was Matuku (origin of the matuku, or 

 bittern). I will speak of this person, of how he makes the booming sound. 

 There are two signs in the call of this bird — it calls to its parents, and also 

 gives certain tokens regarding the months and seasons. This person, the 

 matuku, goes wandering about in the swamp. It sees a hole, and thrusts 

 its beak down into that hole. The food it contains is an eel. The bird 

 thrusts its head down into the mud and seizes the eel. Then the bird gets 



