PR OS tee pe ER ee ee 
Cotenso.—On the Colour Sense of the Maoris. 49 
Art III.—On the jine Perception of Colours possessed by the ancient Maoris. 
By W. Cotenso, F.L.S. 
[Read before the Hawke's Bay Philosophical Institute, 10th October, 1881.] 
Iv a paper which I had the honour of reading here before you last year, — 
(‘*On a better Knowledge of the Maori Race,’’) I alluded to the surprisingly 
powerful natural faculties of the Maoris ; particularly instancing those of 
Memory, Sight, and Hearing; and ending my remarks in that place by 
saying,—‘‘their fine discrimination of the various shades and hues of 
colours—particularly of blacks, browns, reds, greens, etc.,—was truly 
wonderful. On this subject and its relatives I hope to write a paper.’’* 
I should not, however, have chosen to do so at the present time, (for I 
had desired to finish a paper on “ Hawaiki,’’ which I had been preparing), 
had I not seen a paper by Mr. Stack, of Christchurch,—‘ On the Colour 
Sense of the Maoris,”+ in which, according to my certain knowledge and 
long experience, there is no small amount of error ; and believing this, 
though reluctant to suspend other work, I have deemed it to be my duty 
to lose no time in bringing my promised paper before you. 
And here I would briefly remark, that what I shall now bring forward in 
this paper is from my own individual experience only; derived, not merely 
during an extra long period of dwelling among the Maoris, and that before 
the country became settled, (for others have resided in New Zealand as long, 
or even longer than I have), but mainly from my having travelled so very 
much among them ; very frequently in parts where no white man had ever 
been before me; sometimes on the battle-field, both during and after the 
fight; and always in the additional capacity of a“ doctor” or medical man, 
and ever on foot and with them; always having, also, several of their best 
head men (chiefs and priests) voluntarily and heartily travelling with me as 
companions from their own pa, or village, to the next pa, or halting place, 
or bounds of their tribe (as the case might be); and all this, too, at a period 
in their history when they had no extraneous foreign matters to trouble them or 
to talk about. And so I have had very many fine and profitable opportunities 
of hearing and observing many things that naturally and spontaneously 
occurred, which otherwise, probably, I should never have known; and 
which (as far as I know) no other European has ever had so many 
advantages and opportunities of knowing. Moreover, owing to Mr. Stack’s 
paper, and to do the old Maoris justice, I shall have to relate many pleasing 
* “Trans. N.Z. Inst.,” Vol: XIIL., p. 63. 
t ‘Trans N.Z. Inst.,” Vol, XIL., p. 153, 
