110 Transactions,—Miscellaneous, 
but I will here close with my own, and that for two reasons; 1. That I had 
early travelled more than any one in New Zealand (the North Island), 
leaving few spots unvisited, and had used my eyes and ears in so travelling; 
and that I had also witnessed their manner of fighting and of attack; 2. 
That it was our custom at an early date (1834-1840), seeing we were but 
few then in number in the land, and could not possibly go everywhere—to 
collect young Maoris from all parts, and to teach them at our principal 
mission stations in the Bay of Islands, and then, when taught, return them 
to their homes and tribes; and that many of our Maori servants and labourers, 
amounting to some scores, or hundreds, were from those who had been 
taken young in war (of whom a large number we got liberated and returned 
to their homes), and from them I had often their vivid and interesting 
recitals of those battles and sieges, with every minutia ; and my own testi- 
mony is this (the same indeed as that of Cook and others) that the New 
Zealander never knew the use of the bow and arrow, nor of the sling proper, as 
used, for instance, by the natives of Tahiti. . 
Ås to the use of the little instrument called a kotaha (sometimes a kopere, 
though, more properly speaking, the kopere was that by which the kotaha 
was thrown.") I have ever had very grave doubts of its being a true New 
Zealand implement ; for the endeavonr to learn something about it (when 
first prosecuting my enquiries 40-45 years ago) always ended in disappoint- 
ment. On this head I could say a good deal, but for the present I forbear. 
Here, however, are a few things that should not be lost sight of in this 
investigation: 1. That in all those old Maori tales of fightings and battles 
and sieges, and especially the killing of monsters (taniwhas, some of which 
I have lately translated), while every possible weapon known to the old 
Maori, both of offence and defence, including even walking-sticks, is always 
carefully noticed, nothing of the kind in question (missiles) save plain common 
hand-spears, are ever mentioned ;* and yet, for those very purposes, no 
other weapon would have been so useful. 2. That just as the old New 
Zealanders were early taught how to use the bow and arrow (and, no 
doubt, the sling also, by Tupaea and Taiota), as Parkinson says, so were 
they iu after years taught how to make and use the bow and arrow, by 
myself and other of the early missionaries, as implements of sport for the 
boys, both of the mission families and of the Maori families living with us. 
I have made several for them, but the young Maoris of that day never took 
to it, from the fact of its not being a national weapon, and not falling in 
with the genius of the Maori. 3. That from the beginning of this century, 
or even earlier, the New Zealanders went often abroad in ships as visitors, 
* And even these darts, it should be observed, are not spoken of as thrown at the 
taniwhas. 
MEE tii 5 SN 
