MAORI PLACE-NAMES.

"PIG," 'SOW AND "COW." THK EMANATIONS OF LEARNING. The extraordinary place namee | of some localities in Central Otago, to which attention was drawn in a recent article in the "Star" were apparently not the careless namings of early rustics with views confined within their fences, as might be conjectured. Around about the sweetly-named W'aipiata ("Shining Water"), formerly Orangapai (said to mean "Restoration to perfect health"), are places most crudely designated in the language of the farmyard. Apart from "Pigburn," "Hogburn," and "Eweburn," there are on the Maniototo Plain such outrages on the art of words as "Marcburti," "Fillyburn," "Sowburn,' , and "Kye (cow) burn." "And thereby hangs a tale," as a Southerner remarked to a "Star"' reporter to-day, and proceeded to tell the tale. "Those names emanated from the mouth of learning," said the Southerner. "The authorities sent a surveyor into the district. He was the first surveyor thereabouts. Apparently he was very keen on classical mythology, and all the gods and goddesses of ancient myth were, included in his map when he had concluded his survey. He felt highly satisfied with himself, so when the map came back to him with some cutting remarks about 'the unauitability of his extraordinary nomenclature/ which had no bearing on local things or history, he felt very resentful that so much good learning of ancient lore had thus been wasted on unappreciative and unlearned minds. "We will give them something in keeping with the extent of their knowledge of things,' he said, bitterly; and thereupon he sat down and removed all the gods and goddesses on his map, and, with a savage satire, substituted the names of farm animals, each with the appendix of 'burn' or 'brae.' 'That ought to suit 'em,' lie said —and apparently it did. "The only name that remains of the original nomenclature is that of the ! River Styx. A dark and turgid stream, .it rolls ever onward, gurgling its! sardonic appreciation of its sponsor." | . ■ I