122 Transactions. — MisceUaneous. 



Ai)plied to a man who eats more than his share, or who takes away tit- 

 bits from others at meals. 



55. Patua iJio, he kaka, ki tahriki tera ; a, ka jmehuehu, ma tana ivhaiaro tera. 



He pounds away, lo ! a stringy bit, — that's placed alongside (for the 

 visitors) ; ha ! a nice mealy bit, that's for himself or his favourite. 

 This has reference to the preparation of fern-root for eating ; and was 

 used for a sly, selfish, greedy person. 



N.B. — There was a great difference in fern-root, of which varieties the 

 Maori had many names. The difference was much the same as in the 

 various kinds of potatoes and of flour with us. 



56. Pikipiki motumotu, ka Jiokia he tchanamiga ! 



Constantly returning (at food-time, saying, he does so) because he is 

 a relation ! 



This proverb is concerning a lazy fellow, a "loafer," who always con- 

 trives to drop in at meals, because he is a relation ; and is often used in 

 times of scarcity of food, so as to cause those sitting at meat to eat up their 

 victuals quickly. But the whole story is too good to be lost, so I give a 

 translation of it. 



" Tama-ki-te-wananga was lighting his fire to roast his food, but the 

 fire did not burn briskly, so he said, ' Bother the fire, it does not kindle 

 Avell ;' and stooping down he blew at it with his breath that it might burn 

 the better. At this very moment Hauokai had come up, and was standuig 

 behind his back, but Tama did not know of it ; so he kept on blowing away 

 at his fire, saying, between whiles, ' Flame up, blaze away, that thou be 

 not caught by Hauokai.' It came to pass, however, that he (Tama) was 

 indeed thus caught by him while saying those very words. On hearing them, 

 Hauokai called down from behind his back, ' What have you got against 

 me, Tama-ki-te-wananga ?' Then Tama turned round and looked up — 

 alas ! there, verily, was Hauokai himself standing looking down on him. 

 For some time Tama kept looking up with vacant surprise, not knowing 

 what to say. At last he said, ' Thy often comings and goings.' Hauokai 

 replied, ' Yes, my returning hither was owing to my relationship.' Then 

 Tama said to Hauokai, ' Just so, and more too ; it is thy continually return- 

 ing hither.' Then it was that Hauokai said to Tama, ' I fi-equently returned 

 hither, as you have said, through our relationship, but now you and I shall 

 be separate ; we shall never again see each other from this time forward ; 

 nevertheless, our two spirits (wairua) shall meet in the nether world 

 (i-einga).''^ And from that time they never saw each other up to their 

 death." 



* There are several items of interest in this old story, but I must pass them by to 

 take up a more modern one. A few years ago, the then Superintendent of the late Auck- 



