Takahea or Takahe

Forest and Bird, Issue 96, 1 May 1950, Page 10

Takahea or Takahe

MR. JOHANNES C. ANDERSEN states that W. B. D. Mantell, the scientist who first found the fossil skeleton in Taranaki, and later secured the skin and some of the bones of the first living specimen found, in Otago, was in Otago and in close contact with the Maori ’ as Government officer for negotiating the pur- , f . r & ,®_ r chase or the greater part of Otago. Moreover, , « £ & i . r r i he learnt from the Maori that the name of the . . , , . , t».t « 111/1 bird was moho in the North and takahe (he , , , ... i r> i « heard no alternative) in the South. Both i ' . -T i i j names were known in the North—moho and i , . , - , , i i \ takaheand both these names (never takahea) j . , r. . v i ' appeared in the first science paper about the bird, published by Mantell’s father, the English geologist and physician, in London in 1850; the fossil had been discovered in 1848. There is a reason for the final “e” of the name being taken by some ears for a sound approaching “ea”, and that is, the “e” had the long sound of “e” in the word “bend”; but no Maori ear and no pakeha ear, conversant with Maori, would take it for “ea.” In Williams’ Dictionary, both forms, takahe, and tahakea, are given, but takahe

comes first, the other only as an occasional alternative; and the first pakeha to find the bird and learn its name from the .Maori of the North and of the South, recorded “takahe” from the first, and only takahe (with moho as the name in the North). A j i ■ Mr. Anderson also points out that the scien--z- c ’it. t- • «• j • xr . ■ i i title name of the living bird is JNotornis hoch- - j *m . • . i l • <’ Stetten. and not Notorms mantelli, which is the • c -i u- j . name given to the fossil bird, the two species , • •t- u* a- a ti jj «t j showing slight differences. He adds, I admit .« «« _ n, r _ • < .< r • that Mantelrs name ought to go with the living u- j t_ * c * i . A 5 t. j j bird, but unfortunately it has been decreed .’. „ 7 ° erwlse> (As stated in an editorial note in our issue of Feb. 1949 the name was given as Takahea on the authority of the late Jas. Cowan, a noted authority on Maori matters. As regards the scientific name, scientific opinion is now swinging towards giving the name Notornis mantelli to all species of notornis so far found. Present opinion is that the differences in structure in the species found are so fine as not to warrant subdivision.—