clothing called by them, tapa cloth. It also gave its name to the celebrated Maori boys college A large kite of superior make was sometimes flown for purposes of divination when it would be flown over the fighting pa of the enemy and made to hover. Should the kite mount steadily, it was regarded as a good omen; but trouble would surely ensue should it side-swoop or mount hesitantly. A karere, or messenger, consisting of a light, wooden, feathered disc with a hole in the centre through which the cord was passed, would be sent up. The wind, acting on the feathers, forced the karere upwards. Another, made in the semblance of a kaka, called, appropriately enough, manu kaka, was made from toetoe. The frame of this was made from light manuka twigs, the whole being covered with kaka feathers. It looked most beautiful when in flight. Then there was a kite made in the form of a man's head, tattooed on either side, with long wings and short legs. Some were even made in such a way that it was possible to manipulate the wings, making them flap as the kite soared on high. At times the hair of the kuri was attached to the head of the kite as well as feathers to the body and wings. The cord by which the kite was flown was tied to the middle of the kite. Kites were sometimes so big that it took two men to fly them. These often had a wingspread of fifteen feet. In order to gain the great strength required to fly such kites, the cord was made in the same way as was a superior fishing line. The process was called miro: two strands of whitau, or flax fibre were rolled together, while a third was worked in between the two, forming a three strand cord. This resulted in a much stronger cord than a plaited one. At times bunches of tuangs (cockle) or kakahi (freshwater mussel) or kuku (mussel) shells were tied to the usually lengthy tails attached to kites in order to produce a rattle as the kite moved about in the air. The tohunga of a fighting force might, in flying a kite over a pa against which they were taking the offensive, release the cord so that it trailed across the village in a favourable wind. Should the cord happen to be grasped by one of the inhabitants of the pa, it betokened the greatest misfortune to the inmates, often resulting in a successful attack being made upon the now disheartened defenders. The uncertainties of life were surely exemplified by the flying of a kite to determine the perpetrators of a murder, for, when a kite was sent out to discover the guilty, and it began to hover over a certain village, a force was swiftly despatched to wreak vengeance. A story is told of how a jealous husband—doubtless with a certain amount of justification—

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