Page:A New Zealand verse (1906).pdf/292

This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.
256
Notes.

will, and it preserves its voice for mocking others. Darting through some low scrub to the topmost twig of the tallest tree, it commences roaring forth a variety of strange notes, with such changes of voice and volume of tone as to claim the instant attention of the forest.” Toi: a New Zealand pampas grass. Bush: the name always given to the New Zealand forest.

A Leave-taking (p. 26).—Bell-bird (or Mako-mako): the beauty of the bell-bird’s song delighted Captain Cook, who heard it when his ship was lying about a quarter of a mile from the shore. “And in the morning,” he says, “we were awakened by the singing of the birds. The number was incredible, and they seemed to strain their throats in emulation of each other. This wild melody was infinitely superior to any that we have ever heard, of the same kind; it seemed to be like small bells, most exquisitely tuned; and perhaps the distance and the water between might be no small advantage to the sound.”
In London (p. 33).—Weka: the flightless native woodhen.
A New Zealand Picture (p. 48).—Otaki: a river in the North Island flowing into Cook Strait.
Fairyland (p. 49).—Parson bird (or tui): see note on “The Dwellings of our Dead” (p. 19).
In the Moonlight (p. 65).—“The trappers are out on the hills to-night” (and next poem): the reference is to the rabbitkilling. The rabbit, introduced into New Zealand for purposes of sport, is now chiefly a pest. The export of skins, however, forms one of the minor industries of the country.
Arlington (p. 70).—Cockatoos: small runholders.
The Old Place (p. 72).—Tauhinu: an aromatic shrub infesting poor soil.—Karaka: a bush tree with shining dark-green foliage.
The Whare (p. 74).—Whare: Maori name for a house or shelter.
The Blind, Obedient Dead (p. 79).— A curious memorial of the Boer war is recorded from Surrey. At Burstaw, in that county, a drinking trough and fountain have been erected
This article is issued from Wikisource. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.