Moas and Moa-hunters. 167 



Moas, and who described it so as to impress vividly his 

 English interlocutor*. Among other things this Maori 

 described the curvature of the neck with an exactitude of 

 which a well-informed European might judge, but the ele- 

 ments of which could only be furnished to a savage by the 

 observation of the living animal. I could multiply these 

 testimonies, but I shall confine myself to borrowing some 

 details upon this subject given to Mr. Travers by Mr. White 

 in the letters which I have already cited f. Even then it 

 could be seen, and it will be still more visible here, that far 

 from being vague and obscure, the traditions in question are 

 remarkably precise. 



" The Maoris," writes Mr. White, " were afraid of it [the 

 Moa], as a kick from the foot of one would break the bones 

 of the most powerful bravej ; hence the people made strong 

 spears of ' Maire ' or Manuka wood 6 or 8 feet long, and the 

 sharp end of which was cut so that it might break and leave 

 6 or 8 inches of the spear in the bird §. With these the men 

 would hide behind the scrub on the side of the track, and 

 when the birds were escaping from the fear of the noise of 

 those who had driven them from the lakes, those spears were 

 thrown at them, thus sticking in the bird ; the scrub on the 

 sides of the track would catch the spears and break the jagged 

 end off, leaving it in the bird. As it had to pass many men 

 the broken spear-points thus put into the bird caused it to 

 yield in power when it had gained the open fern-country, 

 where it was attacked in its feeble condition by the most 

 daring of the tribe." 



The Moas when killed were cut up with a particular variety 

 of obsidian named Tuhua Waiajju ||. The Maoris brought 

 with them a block of this stone and detached from it Hakes, 

 which only served a single time, were not employed in cutting 

 any other flesh, and were abandoned on the spot. 



* " Notes on the Maori Traditions of the Moa," by J. W. Hamilton 

 (* Transactions' &c. vol. vii. p. 121). 



t ' Transactions ' &c. vol. viii. p. 79. 



X Mr. Travers adds, in a note, that a hill situated on the eastern coast 

 bears the name of a chief Avho, having pressed too closely upon a wounded 

 Moa, received a kick which broke his thigh and made him roll to the 

 bottom of the hill. We see how all these popular reminiscences agree. 



§ The Maoris, like all the Polynesians, were unacquainted with or 

 disdained the use of the bow. 



II Mr. White tells us that the Maoris distinguished three lands of 

 obsidians, characterized by their colour. That which was used for cutting 

 up the flesh of the Moa was of a light colour ; another, of a green 

 colour, Tuhua panetua, was used by the natives to wound themselv^es in 

 their funeral ceremonies. When the deceased was a chief or a child, 

 and when human flesh was to be cut up, they employed the third kind, 

 Tuhua kahurangi, the colour of which is red. 



