"White. — On Extinct Birds of the Chatham Islands. 163 



(geese) are moulting, and often lose the pen-feathers of the 

 wing preparatory to the formation of a new growth, and so 

 are unable to fly. At this time also the young, although they 

 have reached their full development, and are very fat, are still 

 incapable of flight, for the feathers of the wing are the last to 

 be produced. 



All the young and many of the old birds being now unable 

 to fly, this is the time when they are comparatively helpless, 

 swimming and diving being their only means of defence. This 

 is the most favourable opportunity for the Moriori to catch the 

 swan. How should this be carried out? We will suppose a 

 small bay in Te Whanga, having shallow water some 3ft, in 

 depth, is selected and enclosed by a picket-fence formed of 

 upright stakes driven into the mud, and which yard has a nar- 

 row entrance facing the lagoon, from either side of which an 

 extending wing-fence is carried out to a considerable distance, 

 to act as a lead to the entrance of the corral, for the trap or 

 decoy is on the same lines as a stockyard for wild cattle, and 

 is laow complete. The battue now commences by a quiet and 

 cautious surrounding of a flock of swans by the natives in a 

 number of raft-canoes (for there is no timber here of size 

 sufficient to form the ordinary dug-out or canoe), and the birds 

 are gently driven forward in the direction of the decoy, great 

 care being taken not to flurry or approach too closely to the 

 birds, in case they might commence diving, and escape in all 

 directions. The drivers gradually close m as the birds enter 

 between the wings, and, as they are then in shallow water, it 

 is an easy matter to cause them to go through the narrow 

 entrance of the corral, or yard, which can then be built up 

 with similar stakes already prepared for this purpose. The 

 swans being now securely penned, their captors enter with 

 clubs and quickly knock them on the head, for the shallow- 

 ness of the water gives little opportunity for diving as a means 

 of prolonging the hunt. Now the Moriori will make the usual 

 preparations for a great feast. 



I think the late Mr. Potts published an account of the poua 

 which he obtained from the surviving natives of the Chathams, 

 but of this I have no present I'emembrance ; but I can quote 

 from a very interesting paper by Mr. Henry O. Forbes, one 

 time curator of the Museum at Christchurch, New Zealand, 

 and published in the Fortnightly Review for May, 1893, 

 page 669, and entitled "The Chatham Islands and their 

 Story." Mr. Forbes says : — 



" I knew from various sources that the Morioris had a tradi- 

 tion of a great bird they called the poiiwa. Mr. Shand also 

 had, with much kindness and trouble, recounted to me all 

 that they themselves knew, and described to me the exact 

 localities where they say their fathers trapped and killed 



