CoLENSO. — On the Vegetable Food of the Ancient iSfew Zeatanders. 7 



brought many of his intellectual powers into efficient operation." [Com. on 

 Gen., IN.) No doubt such, or similar, was the case here in New Zealand of 

 old — in ages long past ! Hence, too, arose their towns possessing really 

 good houses, strong and well fortified places of strength, etc., — such as their 

 neighbours the Australians and Tasmanians never knew ! such as this 

 generation of Maoris has scarcely ever seen or di'eamt of! Hence, too, 

 the very strong attachment shown by not a few of the older Maoris in our 

 days, to the homes and to the cultivations of their forefathers ; a fine and 

 estimable feeling, which, in not a few instances, has been rudely mocked 

 and opposed ! 



In a former paper on the ancient Maoris,* I brought before you several 

 of theu' fit and pertinent proverbs relating to Industry and to Agriculture 

 (which I merely refer to here in passing) ; and to the same subjects, in 

 addition thereto, some of their traditional incidents, historical and legendary, 

 in their oldest legends undoubtedly belong ; — e.g., that of their favourite 

 and beneficent hero Maui catching and binding the sun, to prevent his 

 travelling so fast, "so that man might have longer day-light to ivork in; " and 

 that of another hero named Tamatea, who " first set fire to and burnt up 

 the rank vegetation of tangled weeds and jungle, that man might have a clear 

 space of ground wherein to grow food ; " two beautiful and worthy ideas, which 

 could only have proceeded from an agricultural and working race. Hence, 

 too, very possibly, under similar ideas and feelings, may we look for the 

 pecuhar derivation of their verb and noun for laziness, and to be lazy, 

 — especially with respect to active work, viz., mangere {ma and ngere), — ma, 

 the active preposition " for," and ngere, their name for any hideous or dis- 

 agreeable cancer or corroding ulcer, — i.e., the lazy fellow is food for the 

 ngere ! A term ever greatly disliked among them. 



I. — Of Plants foemekly cultivated foe Food. 

 1. Of their Plantations. 

 Before however I speak of the plants themselves, their plantations 

 should be considered. These, as it has already been observed, were, for 

 wise political reasons, scattered, and often some were situated in half- 

 concealed out-of-the-way places ; this was done on account of the danger 

 the Maoris were continually exposed to, namely the sudden visit of a taua — 

 war party (often from their own friends and relatives), to demand satisfac- 

 tion for some offence, — generally an insult, or a breach of tapii = taboo 

 restrictions ; at which times the crops, being almost the only available 

 personal property, were sm-e to suffer, often being wantonly rooted up, 



* Contributions towards a better knowledge of the Maori Eace, " Trans. N.Z. 

 Inst.," Vol. XII., p. 115, etc. 



