Best. — Maori Forest Lore. 479 



down their roosting-places. The snapping of a stick will cause them to 

 desert their perches. From about 3 in the morning until shortly before 

 daybreak is the best time to take these birds by the above process. The 

 female Tcoko, or tui, is known by its having a smaller werewere (the tuft of 

 white feathers on neck) than has the male bird. When taking the koko 

 and other birds by the pae method the fowler is crouched in a rude shelter, 

 and strikes the birds down with a rod (hauhau). These birds eat the berries 

 of the fafauma {Griselinia littoralis), and are taken by the tahei or snaring 

 process on that tree at such time. The koko and other birds, when feeding 

 on the berries of the kotukutuku in summer, were sometimes taken for im- 

 mediate use, but not for preserving. 



The rimu and matai are the trees used as tutu for taking the koko and 

 Tcereru — that is, on which these birds are taken with the mutu or perch with 

 loop snare. 



Tuteao, of Ngati-Awa, who lived at Matahina about eight generations 

 ago, possessed a tame koko named Hine-te-iwaiwa. Tuteao was expelled 

 from that district for having slain his younger brother, and went to Opotiki. 

 Apa-nui coveted the bird because it talked so well. Hence he slew Tuteao, 

 in order that he might possess it. Ngati-Awa equalised matters by march- 

 ing eastward and slaying Rangi-ahua. 



The female sparrow-hawk is termed kaeaea and the male bird kokarapiti. 

 Both the sparrow-hawk and the kahu were sometimes trapped on account 

 of their thieving habits, making off with game from camps, and so forth. 

 They were eaten when so caught. 



A kakn with unusually dark-coloured plumage is termed a kaka para- 

 hiwai. It is said that birds of such hue were hatched in a hinau-tvee. 



Both tionga and tirore are terms applied to the first kaka caught and used 

 as a decoy for the one day only. Kaka were not struck down with a stick 

 in the pae method of taking them : they were taken by hand. The kaka 

 is always much quieter and more easily taken by hand when fat. Kaka 

 and kereru are the only forest-birds that can be caught in stormy weather. 

 A few of the latter will be found caught in the snares of the drinking-troughs. 

 Occasionally a kaka will settle on one of these troughs and be caught in a 

 snare, but, if not caught by the neck and so rendered harmless, it will gnaw 

 the cords and free itself. The koko is sometimes caught in the trough-snares, 

 but the pigeon is the only bird that is so taken in numbers. 



WTien not fixed up on trees, these troughs are elevated about 5 ft. from 

 the ground on upright posts. There are four upright sticks, one at each 

 «nd of the trough and one at either side. These are termed turuturu. The 

 cross-pieces at the end are arorangi. The long horizontal sticks are called 

 paepae, while the leafy branchlets put to prevent the birds from gaining 

 access to the water at either end of the trough are known as ivhakaruru. 

 For no snares are placed at the ends of the trough, but only at the sides 

 thereof. 



Kaka are never taken by the takei method. It is impracticable, for 

 reasons obvious to those acquainted with these offspring of Tu-mataika. 

 The kaka is fond of the berries of the toromiro and also those of the Gaul- 

 theria shrub, but does not much appreciate those of the tawa. The pigeon is 

 fond of taiva berries, and is speared on tawa trees, not snared. Both kaka 

 and kereru are taken on hinau trees, when eating the berries thereof. The 

 tutu trees for kaka, or trees on which they are taken with the 7nutu or perch 

 and snare loop, are the rium, tatva, toromiro, hinau, kahikatea, maire, tawai, 

 and such rata as are clinging to rimu trees, but not such rata as stand alone. 



