CoiiENSo. — On the Moa. 89 



of their poetical effusions, altered from time to time to suit the present 

 occasion.* 



I have carefully gone through more than 900 pieces of Maori poetry, 

 including Sir Gr. Grey's published collection, some of them very long (and 

 not a few of them written coarsely in a wretched hand) ; indeed, I may say 

 I have laboriously studied them aU in the course of many years, and these 

 few lines which I have here brought before you are aU that I have been able 

 to discover in them relating to the Moa — ^just those five small scant and 

 antiquated sentences ! There are, however, a few others containing the 

 bare word " Moa," but those are merely references to names of persons, or 

 poetical contractions of other common words having in them those three 

 letters, and possessing httle or no bearing on the subject before us. 

 IV. Names of Places and of Men of the Olden Time which contain 

 THE Word " Moa." 



Of such I have obtained several ; but — as I cannot, in a single uistance, 

 be sure of the word or term in question strictly belonging to the extinct 

 animal or bu'd Moa — I shall defer the consideration of this part of my 

 subject to the second (or negative) head of this enquny. 



§ 2. Negative. 



1. In all the many legends and myths of the Maori, some of which are 

 of great antiquity — from before the time of their common genealogical period 

 or beginning, commonly known as " Hawaiki," or " no Hawaiki " — there is 

 no mention of, nor reference to, the Moa, save that one solitary and brief 

 intimation I have already quoted, f And yet there were plenty of opportu- 

 nities in them of bringing the livmg Moa prominently forward, if that 

 animal were then known, or, at all events, of some casual allusion to it, or 

 to then- manner of capturing and killing it. As, for instance (among many 

 others), in their several fables of birds, in which the bnds converse one 

 with another, etc., as may be seen in the Fable of the Great Battle of the 

 Land and Sea Birds ; \ in that of the Hokioi (another large and extinct 

 bird), and the Kaahu (hawk) ; in the myths of the slaying of those several 

 Saurian monsters ;§ and in the old legends of Maui, and of Hatupatu and 

 his brothers, in which the various birds are made to play such an important 

 part ; — those ancient stories are all silent concerning the Moa. So, again, 

 where in them special mention is made of the food, particularly birds, to be 

 found in plenty in certain regions ; such as was said of the chief Takakopiri, 

 in the legend of Kahureremoa — that " he was a great chief, and had abun- 

 dance of food of the best kinds on his estates ; XDlenty of potted bnds of all 

 kinds (pigeons, andtuis), and kiwis, andkiores, and wekas, and eels;" and 



* Vide " Essay on the Maori Eaces :" Trans. N. Z. Inst., Vol. I., p. 47, Essay. 



t Vide p. 80, Legend of Ngahue. 



I See Trans, N. Z, Inst., Vol. XI., p. 101. § See Trans. N. Z. Inst., Vol. XI., p. 87, etc. 



