Conengo.—0On a better Knowledge of the Maori Race, 101 
$ 8.-— Fables, 
l.— The Fable of the Shark and the Large Lizard—(Guana). 
In days of yore the large lizard and the shark lived together in the sea, 
for they were brothers, both being of the children of Punga.* The lizard 
was the elder and the shark the younger. After some time they fell out, and 
as the quarrel was great and protracted, the lizard, vexed at the conduct of 
his younger brother, determined to leave off dwelling in the sea, and to 
reside on the dry land, so he left the water.t But just as he had got on the 
Shore, his brother the shark swam up to where he was on a rock, and 
wished him to return, saying—“ Let you and I go out to sea, to the deep 
. water.” The lizard replied, with a bitter curse, saying—‘ Go thou to the 
sea, that thou mayst become a relish of fish for the basket of cooked roots. t 
On this, the shark retorted with another curse, saying—“ Go thou on shore 
that thou mayst be smothered with the smoke of the fire of green fern.” || 
Then the lizard replied, with a laugh, “ Indeed, I will go on shore, away up 
to the dry land, where I shall be looked upon as the personification of the 
demon-god Tu,§ with my spines and ridgy crest causing fear and affright, 
so that all will gladly get out of my way, hurrah !” 
.2. The Battle of the Birds.—(A Fable of the Olden Time.) 
In ancient days, two shags met on the seaside. One was a salt-water 
bird and the other was a fresh-water bird; nevertheless, they were both 
shags, living alike on fish which they caught in the water, although they 
differed a little in the colour of their feathers. The river-bird, seeing the 
sea-bird go into the sea for the purpose of fishing food for itself, did the 
* According to the Maori mythology (in which each portion, or kingdom, of Nature 
had a different origin or progenitor), Punga was the father, or former, of fishes and 
reptiles. 
arwin, in his “ Naturalist’s Voyage” (ch xvii.), writing of the large aquatic lizard 
Kabir ynchus cristatus), has some curious remarks very applicable here. 
t “Roots” is not in the original, which has merely “ kete maoa "—basket of cooked 
(food, understood); but the meaning is fernroot, or sweet potatoes. Our common 
potatoes were not then known to the New Zealander, otherwise I should have preferred 
that word, “Sweet potatoes” (or kumara) — not answer well, as this food was not in 
use all the year ronnd; and “ vegetables” islead, as such were never alone cooked 
save in times of great scarcity. The allusion is as to the Maori manner of serving-up and 
setting food before men, each basket having a bit of fish or flesh, as a savour, placed on 
the top. 
|| I had often heard of the old mode of capturing this (the edible) lizard, which lived in 
holes (burrows) at the foot of trees, and was made to appear by smoking them out ; fori 
years ago this animal was still being eaten by an inland tribe named Rangitane, (Vide 
ante, extract from Cook, p. 83, and from Nicholas, p. 84. 
$ Tu was the name of the New Zealand god of war, 
