82 Transactions.—Miscellaneous, 
In their ornamented staffs of rank, carved and inlaid with mother-of- 
pearl, and decorated with quillets of flowing dog’s hair, and red feathers. 
In their symmetrical planting of their food, with faultless regularity, 
and all done “ by the eye.” 
In their language; hence its great grammatical precision, its double 
duals and double plurals, its euphony, its rhythm, and its brevity, and its 
many exquisite particles and reduplications, both singular and plural, all 
highly pregnant with meaning, which almost defy translation into English. 
In many of their songs and recitations; some plaintive and mild and 
full of love, others bold and martial; all natural and sympathetic. 
In their possessing diesic modulations, or quarter-tones, in their airs and 
music.” 
In their proverbs and sayings, and quaint laconic effusions; often 
abounding with wit and beauty of expression and depth of meaning. 
In their legends, myths, tales, and fables. 
In the regular sequence of their peculiar mythology, and of the begin- 
ning and formation of all things; all natural orders of living things having 
each a separate creator or progenitor. 
In their polite and courteous behaviour, and true, open and free hospi- 
tality, often exhibiting the true gentleman.1 
In their knowledge of many of the operations of nature, including the 
periodic return of the moon and stars, and the seasons. 
In the faultless precision of bodies of them moving together, as if it 
were but one man! as in their paddling and dancing and in several games. 
Now in all these matters, and more might be adduced, they ever 
showed their innate national taste, in which they were vastly in advance of 
our own British forefathers when first visited by Cesar; although the 
Britons had many natural advantages, of which the New Zealander had 
never dreamed. 
o return from our earliest intercourse with the Maori, two or three 
peculiar and strange traits and circumstances highly characteristic of him 
have been known. I allude to those respecting his belief in, and fear of, 
animals of the Saurian or Lizard kind. Settlers and colonists of to-day 
can form no correct idea of how a bold and daring New Zealand warrior, 
who feared not to meet his fellow foe in a stern hand-to-hand deadly fight, 
would blanch and run away in horror from a little harmless lizard! yet 
to be such—the frontispiece) to Hochstetter’s work on New Zealand (English edition), we 
have a Maori Chief with three peacock’s feathers stuck in his hair!! a proof of their dege- 
neracy in taste; or, as I believe, of the baser (inferior) taste of the English artist, who had 
c oe learnt by rule, and who had no conception of the superior faculty. 
* See Appendix to this paper ; one highly interesting to trained musicians, 
t Vide Nicholas’ “ New Zealand," Vol, I., pp. 24, 25, 
