216 ' NEW PUBLICATIONS. 
They did so in the case of the Kumara {Batatas edulis) ; but in many 
more instances they gave the tropical Polynesian names to New Zealand 
species, which closely resembled in look certain tropical ones with 
which they were familiaf in the cradle of their race. The Tahitian 
dialect is very near that of Raratonga and Humphrey's Island, and 
by comparing this "Index" with the published lists of Tahitian 
names, it will be seen that this transferring of names has been done 
with great success. For instance, the Tahitian name for Metrosideros 
polymorpha is Rata or " Pua (flower) Rata; 91 in New Zealand the name 
of Rata is given to two other red-flowering Metrosideri ; Ti, in Tahiti 
given to Draccena terminalis, is in New Zealand applied 'to various 
other Draccenas {Cordyliues) ; Kawa, a general Polynesian name for 
Piper methysticum, is in New Zealand conferred upon the very similar 
P.excelsa; Poroporo, in Tahiti given to Solatium a)ifhropophagorum> 
is applied in New Zealand to S. aviculare, with which some botanists 
even have confounded the Tahitian species; Pohue (perhaps from |?o, 
night, and hue, gourd) is the Tahitian name for Convolvulus maritimiis, in 
New Zealand it is restricted to C. sepium ; Tutu is the Tahitian name 
of Colubrina Asiatica, in New Zealand it is applied to Coriaria myrtt- 
folia, the leaves of which somewhat resemble those of the Colubrina. 
That the Maoris at one time inhabited a country where cotton grew is 
clear from their importing the Polynesian name (Vau='Whaii) for 
cotton, and giving it, in the absence of all species of Gossypium, to 
the only New Zealand plant that somewhat resembled Cotton in leaf, 
viz. Entelea arborescens. We should have been glad to know the ver- 
nacular name of Morus papyri/era, as ti plant is one of the few tro- 
pical ones introduced by the early Maori settlors, and was cultivated 
in the Northern Island at Captain Cook's time ; for which we have 
the testimony of Forster in his ' Prodromus,' and that of Banks and 
Solander, whose specimens exist at the British Museum. 
Now that by the help of Dr. Hooker's excellent ( Flora ' and ' Hand- 
book/ the study of New Zealand plants has ken placed on a sound 
footing, we would advise New Zealand botanists not only to persevere 
in making this ' Index ' as complete and correct as possible, but also 
endeavour to obtain, perhaps through traders or missionaries, a list o 
the vernacular names of Raratonga and Humphrey Island plants, tor 
the purpose of critical comparison. We have shown what important 
attaches to this study, and we thank the compilers of this ' Index ' f° r 
Hie useful materials they have aln placed at our command 
