66 Transactions. — Miscellaneous. 
It was owing to their quick and correct perception of the several hues of 
red that they often saved themselves from loss and disaster, and from much 
extra and dangerous labour. As, for instance, in their knowing from the 
peculiar red of the clouds and sky before sunrise of the coming change in the 
weather, and so postponed their deep-sea fishing, or voyage by sea, and 
sometimes their journey also by land; as they always commenced their 
expeditions very early in the morning: and, just so, again, at sunset, they 
knew by the red hue of the clouds, ete., what weather was at hand, and if 
stormy, then they drew up their canoes, and collected their nets, and arranged 
their matters accordingly. Indeed, a whole paper might be written on 
their descriptive powers and opinions concerning the colours of the clouds, 
their changes, and their portents, and the speedy alterations in the 
approaching wind and weather (exclusive of their many superstitious 
notions), of all which they had evidently made a long natural and 
useful study, in which their remarkably tenacious memory assisted 
them greatly ; every variety in colour (as well as of form, though 
in a much less degree), was critically scanned, and bore its own 
proper name. For my part, I confess, I never could learn those 
nice differences; though I had always found the old Maoris to be 
correct in their weather prognostications. Also, in the climbing of the high 
white pine (kahikatea), totara and rimu trees in the forests, to obtain their 
fruit (a work always attended with more or less of danger), for they readily 
discerned from below whether the fruits were quite ripe, though very small, 
from their shade of red colour ; and so with the karaka, poroporo, kawakawa, 
rohutu, kohia, and other fruits, which are orange-coloured when fully ripe. 
This last, being a high-climber, was only found bearing fruit on the tops of 
their highest trees ; from its seeds they obtained one of their ‘choicest 
anointing oils. Ani here, in speaking of orange-colours, I may also 
mention the discussions I have known among the old Maoris relative to the 
proper hue or colour of the wattles of some of their birds (e.g. the huia, and 
the kokako), which led me to believe that their wattles varied in the 
intensity of their colour owing to the season of the year, or that those of 
the male birds were of a different shade of orange from those of the 
females. 
The various sorts of the red-skinned kwmara tubers,*—light-red, dark- 
red, purple-red, reddish, ete.,—were also all well-known and accurately dis- 
tinguished. Their experienced eye also saw, at a glance, the difference in 
the two shades of red exhibited in the flower and the fruit of the purirt 
tree (Vitew littoralis), and accurately described them. And the idee Mars 
a 
* See, “ Trans. N.Z, Inst.,” Vol. XIIL, p. 34, 
