Art, XXV.—An account of the Maori manner of preserving the Skin of the Huia, Heteralocha auctirostris, Buller.

By J. D. Enys.

[Read before the Philosophical Institute of Canterbury, 3rd June, 1875.]

While spending the latter part of the last winter (1874) on the East Coast of the Wellington Province I had the opportunity of observing the way the Maoris preserved the skin of the Huia (Heteralocha auctirostris). The party I saw most of were two brothers, whom I met at the edge of a large forest, on their return from their expedition. Their equipments were few, consisting of a small blanket, a gun, and a slight stock of provisions. So provided, they started off into the bush, and calling the birds by an imitation of its note, which is well expressed by the native name Huia, they bring them within range of their guns. Formerly they killed them with small sticks. The bird is skinned, leaving both mandibles as well as the wattle attached, but both wings and legs removed. The skin is then stretched by three small sticks, placed one above the other, and stuck on a forked stick inserted in the ground in front of a fire, the inside of the skin is turned towards the fire so as to dry the skin ready for packing; the tail is carefully bent back behind so as not to dirty the white tips of the feathers. When dried, the under side of the quills of the tail feathers are cut away carefully, so as to render the feathers more flexible.

A piece of Totara bark (Podocarpus totara), about two feet long and five feet wide, is prepared and bent double in the middle, the ends being rounded off. The dried skins with the tail feathers bent back over the back as dried, are placed between these thin pieces of bark, and are then ready for being sent away to the Waikato and Taupo country, where they are most valuable articles of exchange.