A Bird Snaring Story

Gisborne Times, Volume LXVI, Issue 10473, 31 December 1927, Page 7 (Supplement)

A Bird Snaring Story

.METROPOLIS OF THE PIGEON.”

(By the Rev. G. H. Davies in the Polynesian Journal.)

In ohlen days there lived an ancestor of ours. His tin mo "-as Pukoroatinlii and his sistcUs name was Ao-kj-te-kapua. They rived on I’outturn No. 3. They employed their time in spearing and catching birds—that was when be was young. His sister was the wife oi Te Cniuunuhanga ami this man speared birds for them.

As time went on To Unuumilianga began to entertain evil feelings towards Pukoroauahi. When the birds were cooked 'lie and his wife would eat Hie fleshy parts and then give the hones to Pukoroauahi. He also used to order Pukoroauahi to sit on the pile of firewood, where he was often troubled with the smoke from the fire.

As his sister, however, had a great love for her young brother, she used to smuggle in a hirtl for him amongst the bones and sometimes she would hide a bird amongst, the coverings of the Maori oven. When this hoy grew to manhood he began to go into the bush, as hoys often do. As lie wandered along, he came to a stream where tuo birds came down and drank. lie noticed that the stones in the river were like the berries of the mire both in regard to size and color (red). Ho also noticed that the birds as they flow clown ate (swallowed) these stones and at the same time drank the water.

The hoy accordingly went homo and told his sister what he had seen and asked her to assist him in making snares from the leaves of the cabbage tree. Now his brother-in-law was at the time away in the bush spearing birds by means of climbing uji into the trees with a spear. The brother and sister accordingly proceeded with their "preparations and on a certain day the brother went to sot the snares and, as ho went along sotting them, he noticed the birds being caught in them one after another and tliisT sight gladdened his heart. He didn’t stay to do anything with them, but went straight 'home and told his sister of his success and further requested her. to make a. number of baskets, which she quickly proceeded to do. When they were clone they both went to his stream, whither the sister beheld a sight that gladdened her heart. As they were, putting into the baskets the birds they liad caught others were getting caught'in the snares. To ITnmmulianga, when he returned to find what had been caught by the hoy, was filled with shame"by the sight and straight away he went and hanged himself (wliakamomari or suicide? formerly very common and clue to shame). As for the hoy, he went on with his bird catching, at the stream to which ho gave the name of Maru tuturi. The smalt stones in the stream have been exhausted in generations past, leaving only the large ones as they were too large for the birds (pigeons) to swallow. The pigeons, however, still drink the water and the people of that district go on snaring them, as they are still numerous there. There are towns’ of birds in these localities: in fact, it is the great metropolis of,,the pigeon, vu-,.. Poll turn. Pua to Roku. Toatoa. Ngaere, To IVhakonu, Huiarua.