PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED.

GREAT BRITAIN.

Bulletin of the School of Oriental Studies, London Institution, Vol. 4, Pt. 1, 1926, and Index to Vol. 3.

(Contains an interesting article by Jarl Charpentier on The Original Home of the Indo-Europeans," pp. 147-170.)

Geographical Journal, London, Vol. 67, Nos. 2-4, Feb.-April, 1926. Man, Vol. 26, No. 3, March, 1926.

Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, Journal, Vol. 65, July-Dec., 1925.

(Includes two papers by R. Firth, "Economic Psychology of the Maori," and "Maori Storehouses of To-day." They contain but a small modicum of new data, but treat of matter already on record. It is evident, however, that, as regards Maori industries, Mr. Firth's aim was to deal with such matter from a new point of view, and in this he seems to have succeeded better than in his previous paper.* He remarks of the first paper:"The problem of this paper is to ascertain what is the psychological basis of the industry of the Maori of New Zealand." That basis he seeks to discover and explain. Mr. Firth has undertaken a task that is by no means an easy one. He has not had the advantage of close contact with the Maori, hence he has to remain outside a ring fence and endeavour to see the view from within it. This homely simile refers to the difference in the mental outlook of the Maori and of European folk. He has, however, read Rivers to some purpose, as shown in his remarks on magic. The writer's point of view is well maintained, though that of the Maori has necessarily a secondary aspect, inasmuch as the former is not so sure of his ground. The remarks on Maori mentality and character, on his artistic sense, on the economic aspect of certain activities, on the one hand, and divers myths, superstition, magic practices and restrictions on the other, are often good, though not new to us.

The statement made at p. 342 that the Tuhoe folk had no access to fern-roots as a food-supply was probably a lapsus calami; it was one of their principal food-products in many places. They also took the Maori rat in large numbers, the ara kiore or ratruns were numerous and highly prized. The mauri of a forest was concealed in nearly all cases, not 'erected' as stated at p. 347. Birds were in many cases preserved at the fowling camp in the forest, not at the village home, as at pp. 347-354. Par. 3 on p. 349 needs toning down somewhat; under certain circumstances carving was done for purposes of exchange. The writer's remarks might lead one to suppose that there was no private holding of food-supplies among the Maori, which certainly was

"The Maori Carver," Journal of the Polynesian Society, Vol. 34, p. 277.

not the case. Such errors must occur, however, in the writings of one not frequently in contact with the Maori; they are sometimes found in papers written by persons long resident among them. A common error is represented by the acceptance of an isolated usage as a universal custom.

Mr. Firth has made good use of late works on the mental outlook of barbaric man, and we hope to see him continue his researches in Maori lore.

The second paper describes Maori Storehouses of To-day. This can scarcely be said to add anything to our knowledge of the subject, and gives us the impression that the writing of it was somewhat premature. Several constructional features described are of European origin, but this fact is not explained, yet in the concluding paragraph at p. 372 we are told that the preceding notes indicate to what extent the old technical processes of the native have become affected by European ideas and methods.' At p. 364 the projecting cant on the inner face of the lower horizontal side-wall plank of a storehouse has puzzled the writer, who has not grasped its double use; a little enquiry would have elicited the information..

The explanation of the name Hau-o-Puanui at pp. 365-366 needs toning down, while the statement on the latter page that food-supplies were not kept in ornate pataka (elevated storehouses) is incorrect, albeit they were not used to shelter rootcrops. A number of Maori words and place-names are mis-spelt, there are seven such errors on p. 368, where we also find the English word 'paling' in Maori form, an undesirable feature. On the same page the Maori word pu is given as meaning 'to prevent or hinder.' Has the writer good grounds for the insertion of this definition?

P. 369. Wheki is a name for Dicksonia squarrosa, and whekiponga denotes D. fibrosa, which latter species is, however, called punui by the Urewera folk, as given on p. 371.

United Empire, Index to Vol. 16; Vol. 17, Nos. 2-4, Feb.-April 1926.

FRANCE.

Revue Anthropologique, Vol. 36, Nos. 1, 2 Jan.-March, 1926.

INDIA.

Journal and Proceedings of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, Vol. 20, No. 7, Dec. 1925, with Index.

AMERICA.

The Geographical Review, published by the American Geographical Society, New York. Index to Vol. 15; Vol. 16, No. 2, April, 1926. (Contains an article by Frederick G Clapp, "In the Northwest of the Australian Desert," with illus. and map, pp. 206-232. Journal of the American Oriental Society, Vol. 46, No. 1, March. 1926. Language: Journal of the Linguistic Society of America, Vol. 2, No. 1, March, 1926. Monograph No. 1, Nov., 1925.

Smithsonian Institution, Annual Report, 1924, Published 1925. University of Pennsylvania: Museum Journal, Vol. 16, No. 3, Sept., 1925.

(Contains an article "A Souvenir of the Great Explorers," which describes a rare Tahitian breastplate found in Alaska.) University of Pennsylvania: Publications in Archæology-E. W. Gifford, "Clear Lake Pomo Society," and "Californian Anthropometry" (with many illustrations).

Report of the Canadian Arctic Expedition, 1913-18: Vol. 14, Eskimo Songs, by Helen H. Roberts and D. Jenness.

(A monumental work of 506 pages; the music of the songs is given, and the words, original and translation.)

PACIFIC.
AUSTRALIA.

Memoirs of the Queensland Museum, Vol. 8, Pt. 3, 1926.

(Contains an article by F. Richards, "Customs and Language of the Western Hodgkinson Aboriginals" (N. Queensland), pp. 249-265.)

Royal Geographical Society of Australasia, South Australian Branch, Proceedings, 1920-21, Vol. 22.

FIJI.

Na Mata ai vola i tukutuku vakaviti, Nos. 422, 424, Feb., April, 1926.

NEW ZEALAND.

Te Toa Takitini, Nos. 56, 57, April, May, 1926.

PHILIPPINE ISLANDS.

The Philippine Journal of Science, Vol. 28, No. 4, Dec., 1925, and Vol. 29, Nos. 1, 2, Jan., Feb., 1926.

TAHITI.

Bulletin de la Société des Etudes Océaniennes, No. 12, April, 1926.

NOTES AND QUERIES.

[405] Maori Proverbs connected with the term Ngahuru.

By Hare Hongi.

(These proverbial expressions were omitted from a paper on Maori Numeration published in Vol. 42, of the Transactions of the New Zealand Institute.)

Titike Ngahuru; papaku Mahuru.

Harvest-time piles (of food); spring-time low stocks.

Ngahuru kei runga, Ngahuru kei raro.

(Sign of) tenth-month above, food-abundance below.

Ngahuru; kura kai, kura tangata.

Harvest-time; wealth of foods, consequently of mankind.

Ngahuru; tonui te kai, tonui te tangata.

Harvest-month; great in foods, great in mankind.

IRONICALLY.

(Alluding to those who avoided the arduous labours of tillage.)

Ta ke Koanga, whakapiri Ngahuru.

Absent at digging-time, present at harvest time.

Koanga, tangata tahi; Ngahuru, puta noa.

Digging-time, a single friend; harvest-time, surrounded.

He Ngahuru, he inoi.

At harvest-time prayers (are heard for a share of one's crops.)

Ngahuru, kai hangai; Koanga, kai aro ke.

Harvest-month, facing one's board; tillage-month, facing another's.

[The foregoing expressions are typical Maori whakatauki and were intended to illustrate a noteworthy paper on Maori numeration alluded to above. In that paper one of Mr. Hongi's contentions was that the term ngahuru was not used to denote the number ten in ordinary numeration by those who understood its true mission, that its use in that sense was special and restricted, being concerned with

ritual matters, or what may be termed a sacerdotal usage. Its primary meaning, he maintains, was "the fullness, the abundance,” and so it indicated the harvest month, which is the tenth month, and so resulted its secondary meaning of "tenth."

The available evidence as to the former use of the term ngahuru to denote ten and its employment in ordinary numeration, was not included in Mr. Hongi's paper, owing doubtless to lack of space. That evidence is so conclusive that the matter cannot be considered a debatable one.

The following letter was written by an elderly native of the Whanganui district. It is here inserted for two reasons; it contains interesting applications of the term ngahuru ma rua (ten and two 12), as formerly employed, and also some peculiar expressions that are by no means clear to us, hence we defer any attempt at translation until the light shines before.]

Okura o Tangahoe, Whanganui,

2, Aonui o Io.

E pa, tenei te oha atu nei ki a koe i te wa mamao, huri iho, tu ake. Tenei, e te hoa, he korero ka turuturu ki te iho matua i roto i te kete ururua nui a Iho-matua-ngaro, i whakahekea ra e ratau ki a Tane Rangi-a-tamaku i Tikitiki o rangi, ka waiho ra e Ruamatua hei wananga mai ki nga whakahekenga iho i nga tuaiho, tae horomata ana mai nei ki a tatau e pokaikaha nei i te ao maori.

E te hoa, i rongo korero au ki te tangata he tangata koe e aronui ana ki te kete tuauri horomata i nga tatai o nga tuaiho, koia i ronaki atu ai nga ngakau mowai noa ki a koe; he mataki, he niu ka riua atu nei ki a koe, e te hoa, hei whakaataata iho ma te ngakau, ma te mahara i nga powhiwhi tuatea maha e whakarauika nei i nga marae o te aitanga a Tane.

1.-Uia ki a Wharepatari i a ia nga tau ngahuru ma rua. 2.-Uia ki a Ruamatua, ki a Haepuru, ki a Roiho, ki a Punaweko, me era atu te wehe nuku atea ngahuru ma rua.

3.-Uia ki a Ruamatua-nui, ki a Rua-i-te-pukenga, kei a wai nga pou o te tau ngahuru ma rua. Te utu kotahi kei te Po, kotahi kei te ao turama, kotahi kei te mokai a Peketua, kei te nohu, kotahi kei te whanau a Parauri kei te koko. Enei katoa e pupuri ana i te tatau o Rongonui ngahuru ma rua.

4.-Uia ki a Mataaho i waiho ki a Tane mata ngaro e hia tau ruru, e hia tau wawa, e hia tau maru, e hia tau mawera, e hia tau matataki ngahuru ma rua.

5.-Uia ki a Uenga-nga-rangi, ki a Tahu-matakaka, kia Tahumatarua-nui i te aka matua ko te kauwae runga kei a Io-matua, kei a Ruamatua, kei a Rehua-mata-ngaro i taupurutia ki a Tane-nui-a-Rangi ngahuru ma rua.

6.—Uia ki a Mataahu, ki a Ruaumoko, ki a Ruauroa, ki a Ruapupu, ki a Ruaturuturu te kauwae raro e whata ana ngahuru ma rua. 7.-Uia e hia kete ruru, e hia kete rauroha, e hia kete waitau, e

hia kete aronui, e hia kete puru, e hia kete roi a Tane-tewaiora, a Io-mawake, a Ruatau, a Turongo-rau i hiria ai nga rangi ngahuru ma rua.