Above: Fire generation is sometimes a ritual process in which both sexes participate. Paitini Wi Tapeka, of Tuhoe, one of Te Kooti's fighting men demonstrates the custom assisted by his wife Makurata. (After Best) If deemed necessary, the stones on the bottom may now be cleaned by being sprinkled liberally with water. Quantities of green stuff such as fern fronds or sour thistle are now placed over the stones, then a layer of food such as potatoes, then more greens and above this a layer of meat or fish and then perhaps another layer of greens. After this should come a layer of birds over which would be placed the ruatao, special leaves to cover all. The hot stones should be placed above and quantities of water liberally used. Then a mat covers all. We supply here only an outline of the procedure with the hangi. It will be seen that this is a steam cooking process which preserves the quality of the food in its entirety. Methods vary from tribe to tribe. The old oven made according to the manner explained to me by Mr Te Awe Awe has not been recorded elsewhere. Food is also cooked by enveloping the object to be eaten with clay mixed with water and placing this in a hot fire or by enclosing the food in leaves and placing it in the ashes. These methods may have been a great deal more common than we have been led to imagine, particularly in lesser communities where little time was available for the preparation of food. The staff of life, fern root cakes or loaves, Komeke or raumeke were cooked in the ashes while bush birds required for a quick meal were often wrapped in clay “feathers and all” and placed individually in the fire. In half an hour the feathers came off with the clay—the intestines, etc. came out in a lump and the cooked bird remained. Below: The fire plough in use by a tohunga. (After Best, drawing by A. H. Messenger)