First arrival of the Inhabitants in New Zealand. 283 



they called this species the Mud — now changed to Moa, 

 from some resemblance which it may have had in their eyes 

 to the Mua of their native country. In process of time the 

 wild bird became domestic, but still it retained its original 

 name. Things were different with the Malay branch of the 

 human race who migrated to New Zealand. When they took 

 possession of it there were no domestic fowls indigenous to 

 the country ; but they saw a new bird, as the ancient song 

 says, to which they gave the term Moa, or Mua, — a name 

 which the natives of the present generation say was given 

 to it on account of its moaning voice. But although appli- 

 cable in this way, yet the name may have been given to it 

 from another cause. In course of time European vessels 

 introduced the domestic fowl to the New Zealanders, but 

 they could not apply the term Moa to it, as this name was 

 already appropriated ; so they fell back on the word manuk, 

 the term for a bird or fowl in the Eastern islands. Manu, 

 in the New Zealand language of the present day, is the ge- 

 neral term for all birds, though it is likewise often applied 

 to the domestic fowl, as a distinct name. Tikaokao is pro- 

 perly a name given to a cock from its crow, and heihei is a hen, 

 a corruption probably of the English term for a female fowl. 

 This tedious explanation, which I have considered it ne- 

 cessary to enter upon for the elucidation of the history of the 

 Moa, tends to shew the kind of proof which the language af- 

 fords for advancing a knowledge of the history of the New 

 Zealand race. 



Probable time at which the New Zealanders arrived in 

 New Zealand. — This is an important point to ascertain to- 

 wards the elucidation of the history of the Moa, and it is sa- 

 tisfactory to find that we are not left entirely in the dark on 

 this subject. 



The New Zealanders are in the habit of keeping a numeri- 

 cal record of the chiefs who have lived and ruled since their 

 arrival in New Zealand. They have sticks upon which a 

 notch is made as each chief is gathered to his fathers ; and 

 it was the duty of the priests to keep this knowledge alive 

 among the people, and they did so by frequently going over 

 before the assembled tribes the names of all their dead chiefs. 



