﻿8 
  2 
  Transactions 
  . 
  — 
  Miscellan 
  eo 
  us 
  . 
  

  

  In 
  their 
  ornamented 
  staffs 
  of 
  rank, 
  carved 
  and 
  inlaid 
  with 
  mother-oi- 
  

   pearl, 
  and 
  decorated 
  with 
  quillets 
  of 
  flowing 
  dog's 
  hair, 
  and 
  red 
  feathers. 
  

  

  In 
  their 
  symmetrical 
  planting 
  of 
  their 
  food, 
  with 
  faultless 
  regularity, 
  

   and 
  all 
  done 
  " 
  by 
  the 
  eye." 
  

  

  In 
  their 
  language 
  ; 
  hence 
  its 
  great 
  grammatical 
  precision, 
  its 
  double 
  

   duals 
  and 
  double 
  x^lurals, 
  its 
  euphony, 
  its 
  rhythm, 
  and 
  its 
  brevity, 
  and 
  its 
  

   many 
  exquisite 
  i^articles 
  and 
  reduplications, 
  both 
  singular 
  and 
  plural, 
  aU 
  

   highly 
  pregnant 
  with 
  meaning, 
  which 
  almost 
  defy 
  translation 
  into 
  English. 
  

  

  In 
  many 
  of 
  their 
  songs 
  and 
  recitations 
  ; 
  some 
  lolaintive 
  and 
  mild 
  and 
  

   full 
  of 
  love, 
  others 
  bold 
  and 
  martial 
  ; 
  all 
  natural 
  and 
  sympathetic. 
  

  

  In 
  their 
  possessing 
  cliesic 
  modulations, 
  or 
  quarter-tones, 
  in 
  their 
  airs 
  and 
  

   music* 
  

  

  In 
  thek 
  proverbs 
  and 
  sayings, 
  and 
  quaint 
  laconic 
  effusions 
  ; 
  often 
  

   abounding 
  with 
  wit 
  and 
  beauty 
  of 
  expression 
  and 
  depth 
  of 
  meaning. 
  

  

  In 
  their 
  legends, 
  myths, 
  tales, 
  and 
  fables. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  regular 
  sequence 
  of 
  their 
  peculiar 
  mythology, 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  begin- 
  

   ning 
  and 
  formation 
  of 
  all 
  things 
  ; 
  all 
  natural 
  orders 
  of 
  living 
  things 
  having 
  

   each 
  a 
  sej^arate 
  creator 
  or 
  progenitor. 
  

  

  In 
  their 
  polite 
  and 
  courteous 
  behaviour, 
  and 
  true, 
  open 
  and 
  free 
  hospi- 
  

   tality, 
  often 
  exhibiting 
  the 
  true 
  gentleman. 
  f 
  

  

  In 
  their 
  knovv^ledge 
  of 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  operations 
  of 
  nature, 
  including 
  the 
  

   periodic 
  return 
  of 
  the 
  moon 
  and 
  stars, 
  and 
  the 
  seasons. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  faultless 
  precision 
  of 
  bodies 
  of 
  them 
  moving 
  together, 
  as 
  if 
  it 
  

   were 
  but 
  one 
  man 
  ! 
  as 
  in 
  their 
  paddling 
  and 
  dancing 
  and 
  in 
  several 
  games. 
  

  

  Now 
  in 
  all 
  these 
  matters, 
  and 
  more 
  might 
  be 
  adduced, 
  they 
  ever 
  

   showed 
  their 
  innate 
  national 
  taste, 
  in 
  which 
  they 
  were 
  vastly 
  in 
  advance 
  of 
  

   our 
  own 
  British 
  forefathers 
  when 
  first 
  visited 
  by 
  Csesar 
  ; 
  although 
  the 
  

   Britons 
  had 
  many 
  natural 
  advantages, 
  of 
  which 
  the 
  New 
  Zealander 
  had 
  

   never 
  dreamed. 
  

  

  To 
  return 
  from 
  our 
  earliest 
  intercourse 
  with 
  the 
  Maori, 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  

   peculiar 
  and 
  strange 
  traits 
  and 
  circumstances 
  highly 
  characteristic 
  of 
  him 
  

   have 
  been 
  known. 
  I 
  allude 
  to 
  those 
  resj)ecting 
  his 
  belief 
  in, 
  and 
  fear 
  of, 
  

   animals 
  of 
  the 
  Saurian 
  or 
  Lizard 
  kind. 
  Settlers 
  and 
  colonists 
  of 
  to-day 
  

   can 
  form 
  no 
  correct 
  idea 
  of 
  how 
  a 
  bold 
  and 
  daring 
  New 
  Zealand 
  warrior, 
  

   who 
  feared 
  not 
  to 
  meet 
  his 
  fellow 
  foe 
  in 
  a 
  stern 
  hand-to-hand 
  deadly 
  fight, 
  

   would 
  blanch 
  and 
  run 
  away 
  in 
  horror 
  from 
  a 
  little 
  harmless 
  lizard 
  ! 
  yet 
  

  

  to 
  be 
  such. 
  — 
  the 
  frontispiece) 
  to 
  Hochstetter's 
  ■work 
  on 
  New 
  Zealand 
  (EngUsh 
  edition), 
  we 
  

   have 
  a 
  Maori 
  Chief 
  with 
  three 
  peacock's 
  feathers 
  stuck 
  in 
  his 
  hair 
  ! 
  ! 
  a 
  proof 
  of 
  their 
  dege- 
  

   neracy 
  in 
  taste 
  ; 
  or, 
  as 
  I 
  believe, 
  of 
  the 
  baser 
  (inferior) 
  taste 
  of 
  the 
  English 
  artist, 
  who 
  had 
  

   merely 
  learnt 
  by 
  rule, 
  and 
  who 
  had 
  no 
  conception 
  of 
  the 
  superior 
  faculty. 
  

  

  * 
  See 
  Appendix 
  to 
  this 
  paper 
  ; 
  one 
  highly 
  interesting 
  to 
  trained 
  musicians, 
  

   f 
  Vide 
  Nicholas' 
  " 
  New 
  Zealand," 
  Vol. 
  I., 
  pp. 
  24, 
  25, 
  

  

  