110 Transactions.— Miscellaneous. 
doubt, they were ever largely aided by the very genius and structure of their 
noble Maori language, it being so highly terse, pregnant with meaning, and 
abounding in paronomasia and antithesis. 
Not a little has been written on the true definition of a proverb. A 
modern one of Lord John Russell has caused some noise, and obtains with 
a large number, viz., ** The wit of one man and the wisdom of many ;" but 
for my part I adhere to the older and more hómely definition of Dr. John- 
son, viz., '* A short sentence frequently repeated by the people; an adage, 
name, or observation." 
I early commenced collecting the old Maori proverbs, as I saw of what 
great power and use they were in addressing the Maori people, and I have 
now more than 1200 (perhaps 1400). I have not, however, sought any for 
several years, and I have good reasons for believing there are not a few 
irrecoverably lost, and hundreds stil unknown to Europeans. Lately I 
have been going over what I had secured (in part for this paper), and I have 
been again much struck with their appositeness, propriety, and usefulness, 
indicative of a high class of thought; though stil more struck, in my 
attempt at classifying them, with their wide range, embracing almost every- 
thing objective or subjective that could possibly have entered into the mind 
of a New Zealander. No doubt not a few of them are of great antiquity, as 
they refer to the celebrated heroes and exploits of the olden time, of the 
beginnings of their traditionary times; to the legends of their demi-gods, 
and to animals and plants now and for some time extinct. Here, among 
these latter, I had long hoped to find something referring to that almost 
mysterious animal the Moa, something as to its size, form, powers, appear- 
ance, habits, food, uses, etc., that would have been of real service to us of 
to-day, but I have sought in vain! True, I have (as I by-and-bye hope to 
show*) obtained eight ancient proverbial sayings respecting it, but their 
very abrupt, primitive, and legendary style, and esoteric or hidden meaning, 
carry it very far back into the night of history! In this, however, we have 
but another phase of that same oneness of early testimony of the olden 
time, which (as I have already observed+) we find in their legends and 
myths and ancient stories ; and, as we shall yet find, also in their songs. 
Ihave said that I was much struck in reviewing the very wide range 
whence the ancient New Zealanders had drawn their proverbial sayings; 
but there is still another more remarkable and noteworthy feature respect- 
ing them, which I wish particularly to bring before you, and which, indeed, 
is one of the principal reasons for my writing this paper; and that is what 
* Vide paper on the Moa VL, Part E 
t Vide Vol. XL, Part I. of * E E etc.,” p. 83. 
1 Vide Part II. of ** Contributions, etc.,” infra. 
