2 CORYNOCGARPUS LAVIGATA. 
merely stating that on one occasion, when travelling with Natives ir 
Tarawera district, they collected a large quantity of the ripe fruits, but refu 
to eat the pulpy layer: on camping for the night the baskets containi " 
fruits were placed in a boiling spring, and remained there till noon the next da 
when the kernels were carefully rinsed and eaten with the greatest relish. 
“1. Preparation as food.—The kernels were prepared for food thus: In tl 
autumn a large party would go to the karaka woods on the sea-coast, * 
were most rigidly preserved (tabooed), to gather the fruit. This was generg 
done by beating them down with a long pole (hence the term, ‘ ka haere ki te ta 
karaka’; the verb za, to hit or strike sharp, short, sudden blows with a stick ; 
the same verb is used in speaking of the operation of tattooing), after which th " 
gathered them up into baskets. In or near the adjoining beach large pits» 
dug for earth-ovens, into which when ready the karakas were poured, and 
earth banked up in the usual way. These ovens were left several hours b 
were taken out, put into baskets, laced up, and placed under water, often at the 
mouth of some neighbouring stream or quasi-lagoon, where also they remained 
some time (I believe a day or two at least), for the double purpose of destroy 
all remains of the poisonous quality, and for the loosening and getting rid of ti 
skin and flesh of the fruit; when they were washed clean by knocking th 
about pretty roughly to rid them of the outer skin, &c., taken out, spread in 
sun on mats and stages, and carefully dried, and, when quite dry, again put 
in new baskets for winter use, for feasts, for distinguished visitors, and for eifts 
to friendly chiefs and tribes residing inland. | 
‘“As the same karaka woods did not bear alike plentifully every year, the 
seasons of barrenness were to the tribe seasons of calamity and want, the ka 
being one of their staple vegetable articles of food. 7 
‘2. The symptoms attending cases of poisoning through eating the raw 
kernel were violent spasms and convulsions of the whole body, in v 
paroxysms the arms and legs were stretched violently and rigidly out, ac 
panied by great flushings of heat, protrusion of the eyes and tongue, 
gnashing of the jaws, but unattended by vomiting (very different in appearan¢ 
and result from the bite of the poisonous spider katipo, of which I hav 
seen and attended several cases, which are of a much more mild type and 
fatal). I mention this as both were likely to be caused in the same local 
uninhabited sea-shore) and season, and, at first, by a tyro might be mista 
Unless speedily attended to, the poisoning of the karaka quickly proved fe 
and, even in those few cases in which I have known Natives to recover, 
likely it was more owing to the small quantity of the poison received ini 
system than to the means used as internal remedies. As the sufferers 
Li ctive 
mr ron 
the sufferer biting its own tongue; and there the child was left, buried up te 
chin, until the crisis had passed by: sometimes it was also plunged Te a edly 
into the sea before being pitted. Fortunately the cases of karaka-p o1sonl 
were but few, owing, no doubt, to the hard texture and disagreeable taste 
karaka kernel in its raw state—very much fewer than those arising | 
eating of the sweet fruits of the tutu (Coriaria ), which latter, however, wet 
easily managed by the Natives. 
———_ 
pi * Trans, N.Z, Inst., iv., p. 317: Extracts from a letter by W. Colenso, F.R.S., to Mr. Skey. 
