110 Transactions. — Miscellaneous, 



doubt, they were ever largely aided by the very genius and structure of their 

 noble Maori language, it being so highly terse, pregnant with meanmg, and 

 abounding in paronomasia and antithesis. 



Not a little has been written on the true definition of a proverb. A 

 modern one of Lord John Eussell has caused some noise, and obtains with 

 a large number, viz., " The wit of one man and the wisdom of many ;" but 

 for my part I adhere to the older and more homely definition of Dr. John- 

 son, viz., " A short sentence frequently repeated by the people; an adage, 

 name, or observation." 



I early commenced collecting the old Maori proverbs, as I saw of what 

 great power and use they were in addressing the Maori people, and I have 

 now more than 1200 (perhaps 1400). I have not, however, sought any for 

 several years, and I have good reasons for believing there are not a few 

 irrecoverably lost, and hundreds still unknown to Europeans. Lately I 

 have been going over what I had secured (in part for this paper), and I have 

 been again much struck with their appositeness, propriety, and usefulness, 

 indicative of a high class of thought ; though still more struck, in my 

 attempt at classifying them, with their wide range, embracing almost every- 

 thing objective or subjective that could possibly have entered into the mind 

 of a New Zealander. No doubt not a few of them are of great antiquity, as 

 they refer to the celebrated heroes and exploits of the olden time, of the 

 beginnings of theu" traditionary times ; to the legends of their demi-gods, 

 and to animals and plants now and for some time extinct. Here, among 

 these latter, I had long hoped to find something referring to that almost 

 mysterious animal the Moa, something as to its size, form, powers, appear- 

 ance, habits, food, uses, etc., that would have been of real service to us of 

 to-day, but I have sought in vain ! True, I have (as I by-and-bye hope to 

 show*) obtained eight ancient proverbial sayings respecting it, but their 

 very abrupt, primitive, and legendary style, and esoteric or hidden meaning, 

 carry it very far back into the night of history ! In this, however^ we have 

 but another phase of that same oneness of early testimony of the olden 

 time, which (as I have already observed!) we find in their legends and 

 myths and ancient stories ; and, as we shall yet find, also in their songs. | 



I have said that I was much struck in reviewing the very wide range 

 whence the ancient New Zealanders had drawn their proverbial sayuags ; 

 but there is still another more remarkable and noteworthy featm'e respect- 

 ing them, which I wish particulai-ly to bring before you, and which, indeed, 

 is one of the principal reasons for my writing this paper ; and that is what 



* Vide paper on the Moa ; Art. VI., Part 11. 



t Vide Vol. XI., Part I. of " Contributions, etc.," p. 83. 



I Vide Part III. of " Contributions, etc.," infra. 



