CoLENSO. — On the Maori Races of JVeio Zealand. 371 



"wlietlier visitor or neiglibour, friend or relative ; always, however, excepting 

 their enemies. They were certainly not quarrelsome ; nor were they thievish 

 among themselves ; excepting the slaves, who often stole from each other. 

 They would, however, steal freely from strangers ; at the same time, things 

 left in their charge by strangers were almost invariably safe. They were 

 childishly inquisitive ; but this they were with so much artfulness and good 

 grace, and from a real desire for information, that it must be classed among 

 their good qualities. Lastly, their being able to command sleep at any time 

 — by day or by night, in health or in sickness — must not be omitted, for 

 by being able to do so they doubtless escaped much misery, mental and 

 physical. 



(2.) Of their had propensities, the following were among the more pro- 

 minent:— Revenge, never weakening, never dying ; ever assiduously cherished 

 in their tenacious memories ; sucked in with their mother's milk, and brooded 

 over incessantly, with large accruements of interest and compound interest, 

 and handed down as a precious legacy from father to son. Their combat- 

 iveness, or love of fighting (especially after their fashion), was no doubt 

 largely developed ; it seems as if it and its preparations must have taken up 

 fully half of their time ; for, once fairly roused, a New Zealander shuts his 

 eyes to consequences. Akin to this w^as their cruelty and barbarity, and 

 their love of teasing and tormenting— Avhether the poor and afflicted, the 

 unfortunate recent captive, or the innocent dumb animal. Some of the 

 barbarities sometimes practised by way of revenge on their newly taken 

 prisoners of war were horrifying, and quite equal those of the North Ameri- 

 can Indians, or the worse Christian (!) savages of " The Holy Inquisition." 

 They were also hasty, passionate, and envious, and treacherous, especially to 

 strangers, and in making war. But their constant suspicion of almost all 

 others exceeded everything ; no strange canoe could appear in sight, nor 

 travelling party, however small, be descried at a distance, but their worst 

 suspicions were aroused, and immediately, and by every one, evil was sur- 

 mised. . So it was of any track or sign of any one unknown having lately 

 travelled that way. Their instability and fickleness were also very great, 

 and likely to occur at any time — often enough at an awkward time ; allied 

 to which was their superserviceableness, or over-officiousness ; their inces- 

 santly taking on themselves to do something new, or of little use, or not 

 wanted ; a trait best known by their own emphatic and peculiarly appropriate 

 tevva., poTcanoa (an undesired, causeless, or worthless doing or thing). Their 

 disagreeable ever-asking for some uUt — return, payment, recompense, or 

 equivalent — for the least assistance or thing {quid pro quo), is more a matter 

 of growth during the last twenty -five years — at all events, if latent, it has 

 wonderfully developed during that period ; so also has their begging faculty, 



