182 Transactions.— Miscellaneous. 
118. Kaore a te rakau whakaaro, kei te tohunga te whakaaro. 
The wood has no thoughts, such only belong to its carver, or designer. 
119. Tirohia, he moko. 
Examine well a tattooed countenance! (Meaning: A nobleman.) 
Said by a man to another who stares rudely at him. 
120. He whakatau karanga, tino taka iho a Te Kaahu. 
At the very first attempt to make the call (to dinner), down rushes 
Te Kaahu. 
Applied to a person who jumps at an invitation which was scarcely 
really meant. The person mentioned figuratively by name, Te Kaahu, is, 
translated literally, the Hawk. 
121. Mate wareware te uri o Kaitoa ; takoto ana te paki ki tua. 
Foolishly died the offspring of Recklessness, the fine weather was 
ready close at hand. 
122. Mate papakore te uri o Kaitoa. 
The offspring of Rashness died heedlessly. 
These last two proverbs have the same meaning; the reference is to 
those who went hastily to sea in their canoe when a gale was coming on, 
and all miserably perished ; fine weather, too, being near. 
Meaning: Be prudent; don't act rashly. 
193. Kei mau ki te pou pai, he pow e eketia e te kiore; tena ko te pou kino, 
ekore e eketia e te kiore. 
Do not select a fine nice post (for your storehouse), as that kind of 
post will be climbed up to the top by the rat, but the ugly post 
will not be so ascended by the rat. 
This is advice from a father to his son about taking a wife (which has 
become a proverb)—meaning: Do not seek so much for a handsome person, 
who may cause you trouble, for you may be better off and dwell quieter 
with a plain one. 
194. He pirau kai ma te arero e kape. 
The tongue soon detects and rejects (a bit of) rotten or bitter food. 
Meaning: Any evil thing may be quickly found out and thrown aside. 
125. Honoa te pito ora ki te pito mate. 
Join the living end to the weak one. 
Used sometimes for raising a weak or impoverished chief or tribe, by 
alliance or marriage with a stronger one. 
An allusion is here made to the ends of kumara, or sweet potatoes; in 
planting, they make use of the sprouting end of the root as seed, and so, 
sometimes, place two such ends in one little hillock to make sure of plants. 
126. Honoa te pito mata ki te pito maoa. 
Eat together (lit., join) the underdone end with the nicely-cooked 
end (of the sweet potatoes, understood). 
