602 Traiisactionsi. 



was done to enable individual owners to identify their fish. The catch in 

 our canoe totalled 180. (On referring to my diary, I find that on the 27th 

 January, 1875, no less than 265, or about 6 tons in weight, were caught 

 on one large canoe). The cleaning of the sharks had now commenced. The 

 fane (heads) were first removed ; then a strip was cut following the curve 

 of the belly. This strip, called the whauaro, was considered a great delicacy. 

 The bodies were hung by the tails to a tarawa (a tall scaffolding), or thrown 

 across a top rail, belly side up. There they remained until thoroughly 

 dried by the sun and wind. The heads and tapiki (entrails) were generally 

 left on the scene of operations. In a day or two the stench would be in- 

 tolerable. The livers were thrown into a large funnel, made of green flax- 

 leaves with a lining of soft fern-leaves, and suspended in a rough frame- 

 work of tea-tree. Large stones were then heated and placed on them, and 

 the oil was caught in calabashes. Surplus livers were put into the stomachs 

 of the sharks, and hung up in the sun until the oil exuded from them. The 

 total number of sharks caught by the fleet, including those taken at the 

 'pakoki held a fortnight later, was about seven thousand, an average of about 

 sixty-five per canoe for each of the two trips. 



The kapeta, or dogfish, is well known to be viviparous. During the 

 month of December and up to the middle of January the ova are generally 

 perfect, the embryo very rarely to be seen. Towards the end of January 

 the embryo is plainly visible, and by the end of February it is perfectly 

 developed, although in many instances still attached to the remains of the 

 ovum. At that stage they are about 4 in. long, but increase rapidly in size. 

 Mr. C. Puckey informs me that on one occasion while fishing in Houhora 

 Harbour towards the end of March he caught a toiki 10 ft. long. On open- 

 ing it he found seventeen young sharks, each 18 in. long, which swam briskly 

 away when put in the water. When fishing at Rangaunu Heads on the 2nd 

 April one of my crew caught a dogfish, and on ripping it open eight or ten 

 fully developed sharks 8 in. long dropped into the water and swam away. 

 Captain Wilson informs me that when fishing for hapuku off the Watchman 

 in October a great number of sharks were caught, and on cutting one open 

 for bait no less than forty-one perfectly developed sharks were found in 

 it, each about 7 in. in length. On the 11th November Captain Wilson 

 took a fishing-party to the North Cape, when many sharks were caught. 

 One that was cut open had a number of young sharks about 6 in. in length. 

 I think it is probable that sharks carrying fully developed young keep in 

 blue wa'ter, and rarely, if ever, go into the harbours or estuaries. I am 

 inclined to believe that sharks breed more than once a year. 



A few general notes on the subject of sharks may prove to be of interest. 

 The dried sharks were stacked in food-houses, or whatas, just like so much 

 firewood. Narrow strips were cut and cooked on hot stones, and beaten 

 with a paoi (pestle for pounding fern-root) to soften the flesh. Sometimes 

 the cooking was done in a hangi, or steam-oven. In this case the flesh 

 was cut in chunks, and not pounded. 



Shark-oil was used in a variety of ways and for a number of purposes. 

 I^ was mixed with kokoivai (red ochre) for painting war-canoes, iirupas, 

 and the ornamental portions of the principal houses, as well as the carved 

 work about the pas. The urujja was a graveyard, or, more correctly, 

 a carved monument, usually standing on two posts, erected in memory 

 of some great chief. They were usually beautifully carved, and very tap2i. 

 The oil was also used to anoint the bones of their deceased friends after 

 the ceremonial scraping, or hahunga. In this case it was often mixed with a 



