Best. — Maori Forest Lore. 463 



Whanganui Museum, presented by Mr. Annabell — the only two, I think, 

 that have been saved in the colony." 



In vol. X of the " Transactions of the New Zealand Institute," Mr. Cole- 

 man Phillips speaks of long bird-spears made out of rata vine : " The pigeon- 

 spear was made out of a piece of rata vine 30 ft. to 40 ft. in length, and 

 more resembled a stiff piece of rope than a spear, it being perfectly flexible. 

 . . . . The head of this spear was formed out of one of the human leg- 

 bones (fibula), both sharpened and jagged." 



Enough of bird-spears. Pass we on to — 



The Kereru, or Pigeon, and how it was taken. 



The pigeon was taken in former times by the following methods — spear- 

 ing, tahei, and tutu ; the two latter being methods of snaring. The mode 

 of spearing has been explained. When speared in the breast the bird is 

 helpless, and is easily secured. The expressions umanga and tarawna are 

 both apphed to birds, and are evidently connected with uma, the breast. 

 For the breast is the most important part of a bird — most of the meat is on 

 the breast. A bird is sometimes alluded to as tarauma nui, or big breast. 

 Umanga nui is used also in other senses : Te umanga nui o nehera ho te wha- 

 whai (Fighting was the important item in ancient days). 



The system of snaring known as tahei we have noted. A number of 

 snares (running-loop snares) are fastened to a cord termed takeJce, which 

 is fastened to the branches of a tree. Great numbers of these loop snares 

 would be arranged on a single tree. Again, snares were set for pigeons 

 over the water of a wai tuhi. For pigeons (and other birds) get exceedingly 

 thirsty when feeding on such food as berries of the toromiro tree. They 

 frequently adjourn to adjacent pools or streams in order to drink, and the 

 Maori took advantage of this habit. Small streams or pools would be 

 covered with fronds of tree-ferns, save at suitable places for snare-setting, 

 M'here rows of snares were so arranged that the birds put their heads through 

 the slip-loops in order to drink. 



The tutu method difiered from the above, for in this case the snare was 

 arranged on an artificial perch attached to a pole. This perch was termed 

 a mutu, and when a pigeon alighted on it the watchful fowler pulled a cord 

 and caught it by the legs. This process will be described more fully when 

 we go forth to snare kaka. The niutu kereru, or portable pigeon-perch, 

 was smaller than a mutu kaka and like a mutu koko. A tree on which birds 

 are taken by this method is termed a tutu. 



We have seen that a snare is termed mahanga in its entirety, but the 

 specific term for the running noose alone is tarahanga :* " Koinei te tara- 

 hanga, ko te porohitatanga o te ti i mahia hai urunga mo te wpoko o te manu, 

 e mau ai te manu, ara hai kuhunga mo te wpoko o te manu.'''' 



Waka Kereru {Pigeon-troughs). 



We have seen that, in former times, any little pools of water lying in 

 hollows of trees, logs, or rocks that were resorted to by pigeons as drinking- 

 places were noted by fowlers and surrounded by a line of snares. These 

 places were termed waituhi and ngongo. Now, the waka kereru, or pigeon- 

 troughs, served a similar purpose. They were wooden troughs about 4 ft. 

 long, hewed out of a piece of wood about 9 in. wide, the trough or hollow 



* Also tari. 



