CoLENSO. — On the Vegetable Food of the Ancient Neiv Zealanders. 29 



reminds one strongly of London gingerbread. Dr. Sii'. J. D. Hooker informed 

 me tliat when he was in India he found the natives of Scinde making a pre- 

 cisely similar use of it. 



10. The large, hard, stony seeds of the plum-like di-upe of the taica tree 

 (Nesodaphne tawa) were also used as food by the natives of the interior. 

 This tree grows tall and large, and is very common throughout New Zealand 

 in the low-lying forests. The fruit is something like a common English 

 dark-coloured plum, and the flesh or pulp, though eatable in its raw state, 

 is scarcely palatable, and not relished. The seed or kernel is peculiar, 

 resembling that of the date of the shops, and equally hard. Long stearning 

 them, however, in their Maori earth-ovens does wonders, and makes them 

 to become serviceable to man. For this purpose they were formerly col- 

 lected in quantities. 



11. Another magnificent fern (Marattia salicina), para of the Maoris, was 

 also an article of food, the large, scaly, bract-like pieces of its big tuberous 

 root were used for this purpose. It inhabited damp, shady forests, and was 

 very scarce. I never found it but once, in forests at the head of the Wai- 

 kare Kiver, Bay of Islands, when I took off my hat to it ! Of those plants 

 I sent specimens to my good friend, the botanist, Allan Cunningham ; also 

 to Sir W. Hooker, at Kew,* I believe that it only inhabited the northern 

 parts of this North Island, and formerly was much more plentiful there (from 

 Maori report). No doubt its being so eagerly sought for food caused it to 

 become scarce, just as with the black tree-fern (Cyathea meduUarls ). Its 

 large arching fronds were ten to thirteen feet in length. 



12. Another peculiar plant was the karengo (Laminaria sp.), a sea-weed, 

 found growing in abundance on the flat clayey tidal rocks of the East Coast, 

 and particularly about the East Cape ; — a plant not readily forgotten by 

 the traveller that way, should he have incautiously trodden on it when wet, 

 from its extreme slipperiness, and flat prostrate paper-like form of growth. 

 This plant was collected and dried in the sun, and closely packed away in 

 baskets for use. I have known baskets of it dried, to be taken inland to 

 Taupo and elsewhere, on the Maoris' backs, as a suitable present, in 

 exchange for the delicacies of the interior forests, like the karaka kernels 

 (ante). Sometimes in the summer season it was steamed in the earth- 

 oven, and together with two other species of sea-algfe, rehia and rimurapa 

 ( Giyartina and Gracilaria sp.), was mixed with the sweet juice of the tutu, 

 as an excellent kind of blancmange-like summer food, eaten cold, and 

 devoured with avidity. 



* See London Journal oj Botany, 1842, Vol. I., p. 303 ; and Tasmanian Journal of 

 Science, Vol. II., p. 305. 



