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Cotenso.—On the Colour Sense of the Maoris. 55 
individual of a family,* as they are for a stirps, family, or genus; and 
commonly so by way of laconism, ellipsis, abbreviation, or carelessness ; 
always, however, perfectly well understood among themselves. Hence, 
owing to this common usage, appellatives and proper names become 
gradually dropped, and fall into abeyance ; though, as the Maoris formerly 
were, never wholly forgotten. 
(2.) That being a truly natural observant race, and fully acquainted 
with nature, they often, or generally, used her peculiar productions and 
appearances to express colour, or the exact hue of colour required ;—there 
was no mistake here, among themselves. For in the highest minds a 
single descriptive word, or sign, is sufficient to evoke crowds of shadowy 
associations. 
(3.) That from the particular shade of colour of a thing, they often gave 
to other and very opposite things their names,} as in the foregoing example 
of the pink-fleshed taro. 
* Harakeke—flax, (of which they have more than 50 sorts, or varieties, every one 
bearing its distinct and proper name). 
Ika—fish, (nearly all fishes ; each, however, has its own proper name). 
Kai—food, (also, all articles of food; though each one has its own proper name). 
u—a garment, (all garments, of which they had a great and varied number, all 
bearing proper names). 
Kowhatu—a stone, (all stones, etc). 
Hua—truit, (of plant, ae bird ( (egg), fish (roe), etc). 
Rakau—tree, (of all trees; yet each one has its own proper name, and some 
several names for various parts of the same tree, which are often given for the colour). 
Pipi—a bivalve shell-fish, (and generally for all salt-water bivalves; each one, 
however, has it own distinct name). 
Pupu—a univalve shell-fish, (ditto). 
Kumara—sweet potato, (yet many sorts, all bearing proper names). 
t Of which a few instances are here given by way of example :— 
Paua, the black flesh of the Haliotis ; also, a black sunburnt potato. 
Mangu, mamangu, and mangumangu, black (colour); also, ink, blacking, etc. 
Tawatawa, the mackerel, and tamure, the snapper fish; also, a peculiar appearance 
of the sky from cirrus and cirro-cumulus clouds, through which the blue appears some- 
thing like the deep blue wavy marks on the back of a mackerel freshly caught (this term 
of mackerel-sky, is also given to it by Europeans) ; eae resembling the dark wavy lines on 
the flesh of a fresh snapper under its skin when ¢ 
Toroamahoe, the white-skinned root of the ra tree pee ramiflorus) ; also, a 
variety of whitish skinned kumara of exactly the same shade of co. 
Pokere kaahu, a dark purple variety of kumara ;—from nae ik dark purple flesh 
of the fruit of the tawa - (Nesodaphne tawa), and ka ahu, to proceed towards; to 
grow up to; to become like : 
Parakaraka, the lies colour of the fully ripe karaka fruit; also, a light 
reddish-orange variety of kumara. {N,B. This variety of kumara has ever been believed 
t 
