468 Transactions. 



cord round the leg, which, however, gave them Uberty to walk up and down 

 their pole perch. Were this perch of soft wood, then the parrot would soon 

 demolish it with his powerful beak. 



The act of pulling the cord that snares a bird on a mutu is described by 

 the word takiri. " Ka mate takiri kaka, ka ora karikari aruhe." 



The Pae Method. 



Among some tribes this method is styled taki. It is conducted not at 

 dizzy heights on huge forest-trees, but on the ground. At a suitable spot, 

 selected by past-masters in the wiles of the fowler, a pole is secured to two 

 trees, and another pole is placed with one end against it and the other rest- 

 ing on the ground. This latter slanting pole is placed at such an angle as 

 will render it easy for a kaka to walk down it. At the base of this pae a 

 small shelter is erected as a means of concealing the fowler — who squats 

 within it — from the birds hovering overhead, or descending the pole. The 

 booth is made by sticking branches in the ground and covering them with 

 fronds of tree-ferns. The decoy kaka is secured at the base of the sloping 

 pole, where it employs itself, if well trained, in scratching among the leaves 

 and rubbish on the grotmd, or in gnawing at a piece of bone, and making 

 the harsh sounds peculiar to these birds at such times. The other kaka are 

 attracted by the cries of the decoy, and come hovering overhead. They 

 see the decoy scratching out food, apparently, on the ground, or hear it 

 gnawing at the bone. Gradually they come nearer to take part in the feast. 

 Some settle on adjacent trees and watch the decoy, some descend and settle 

 on the cross-pole. At last one begins to walk down the slanting pole. As 

 they slowly descend the pae these birds always keep turning from side to 

 side. When the bird at last descends the pole to a point opposite the shed, 

 the fowler takes advantage of the right moment, when its head is turned 

 away in the other direction, and quickly grasps it, pulls it inside his shelter, 

 kills it, and waits for another to descend. If the fowler does not possess a 

 decoy bird he has to decoy one himself, which he does, in the case of the 

 kaka, by imitating its cry, but not using a call-leaf, as is done in many cases. 

 He will utilise the first bird caught as a decoy. 



We will now describe another kind of pae, whereon such birds as the 

 koko, tike, rearea, tieke, kokako, and tataeto were taken. 



Taking the Koko. 



Tliis bird was taken by six different methods — viz., the pae, tutu, tahei, 

 maiere, puna uai, and the whakamoe. 



This pae is a pole fixed in a sloping position to two trees or upright poles 

 fixed in the ground. It is erected at a suitable place in the forest, and at 

 the lower end of the perch is erected a small shelter for the fowler, as used 

 in the case of the kaka, to conceal him from the birds. The fowler is armed 

 with a stick termed a hauhau manu, or " bird-striker." It is a round, 

 smoothened piece of white manuka about 5 ft. in length, which, when made, 

 is hung up in a hut over a fire to season, kia pukeko, ara kia tawhito, as my 

 informant put it. No decoy, either a mokai, as in taking the kaka, or mai- 

 moa, as in taking the pihipihi and porete, is used. The fowler relies entirely 

 on the pepe, or call-leaf, in order to attract the birds and induce them to 

 settle on the pae. A leaf of the raurekau tree is used for the purpose. The 

 wily fowler squats within his shelter, stick in hand, and imitates the cry, 

 or one of the cries, of the koko, or whichever of the above-mentioned birds 



