98 



Till!: ART ALliVM OF NEW ZEALAND FLORA. 



the natives to give a supera1)uudanc(! of fruit, so tliat, in that year every one coukl use 

 the oil and a little red pigment, and thus for once look like a chief without heing one, 

 hence the saying, " Ko nga rangatira a te tau Titoki," " Chiefs of the Titoki year," 

 (Colenso.) The fruit when ripe is eaten hy the wild pigeon, the Tui, and other native 

 hirds. AVhen the seeds fall they readily germinate, and young plants are generally 

 plentiful beneath the parent tree. The Titoki is peculiar to New Zealand, and should, 

 therefore, on that account he a tree of additional interest. 



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