CoLENSO. — On the Colour Sense of the Maoris. 73 



I will conclude this paper with an excellent observation by the celebrated 

 Professor Owen: — "Past experience of the chance aims of human fancy, 

 unchecked and unguided by observed facts, shows how widely they have 

 ever glanced away from the gold centre of truth."* 



Appendix. 

 A Paradigm, of the word Whero, one of the (several) Maori terms for the red. 



colour. 

 " It is said, that the New Zealander's perception of colours was defective 

 and weak ; this, however, is a mistake. Their colours were mainly divided 

 into three distinctive classes, — white, black, and red ; — but they were never 

 at a loss clearly to express all colours. They used them, much as an 

 English mariner uses the four names of the principal winds and points of 

 the compass, repeated and involved to make 32, only much more expres- 

 sively ; as they also used with them several adjectives, increasing or lessen- 

 ing the meaning ; also the words themselves reduplicated as diminutives. 

 Besides which, if a New Zealander wished to convey to another a very exact 

 idea of any colour intended, he would mention that of some natural object 

 which was of the same shade of colour," etc., etc. (W. C. " Essay on the 

 Maori Kaces," § 33, Vol. I., Trans. N.Z. Inst.) 

 Whero =:= red. j: 

 I. Ascending: intensifying. 

 (Indicating, pure, clear, strong, brilliant, and lasting red colours.) 



Ko whero. 



Tino kowhero. 



Tino whero. 



Tino whero rawa. 



Whero nui. 



"Whero nui rawa. 



"Whero nui whakaharahara. 



Tino whero nui rawa. 



Tino whero nui rawa whakaharahara. 



Tona whero i whero ai. 



Tino whero whakawhero. 



Katahi te tino whero. 



Katahi te mea i tino pai tona whero. 



* Palceontology, p. 443 ; Second Edition. 



t There are also several other proper names of red, — as, kura, Uurahura, ngangana, 

 pakurahura, ura, etc, 



