Gray relates a legend in which Maui-mua or Rupe is
recorded as having carried his sister and her child to one of the new
lands, found in his long voyage, where dwelt an aged relative, of chief
rank, with his retainers.

Some legends say that Tini-rau tried to catch Rupe, who was compelled
to drop the child in order to escape with the mother. Tini-rau caught
the child and carefully cared for him until he grew to be a strong young
lad.

Then he wanted to find his mother and bring her back to his father. How
this was done, how Rupe took his sister back to the old chief, and how
civil wars arose are not all these told in the legends of the Maoris.
Thus the tricks of Maui the mischievous brought trouble for a time, but
were finally overshadowed by happy homes in neighboring lands for his
suffering sister and her descendants.

IX.

MAUI'S KITE FLYING.

Maui the demi-god was sometimes the Hercules of Polynesia. His exploits
were fully as marvelous as those of the hero of classic mythology. He
snared the sun. He pulled up islands from the ocean depths. He lifted
the sky into its present position and smoothed its arched surface with
his stone adze. These stories belong to all Polynesia.

There are numerous less important local myths, some of them peculiar to
New Zealand, some to the Society Islands and some to the Hawaiian group.

One of the old native Hawaiians says that in the long, long ago the
birds were flying around the homes of the ancient people. The flutter of
their wings could be heard and the leaves and branches moved when the
motion of the wings ceased and the wanderers through the air found
resting places. Then came sweet music from the trees and the people
marvelled. Only one of all mankind could see the winged warblers. Maui,
the demi-god, had clear vision. The swift-flying wings covered with red
or gold he saw. The throats tinted many colors and reflecting the
sunlight with diamond sparks of varied hues he watched while they
trembled with the melody of sweet bird songs. All others heard but did
not see. They were blind and yet had open vision.

Sometimes the iiwi (a small red bird) fluttered in the air and uttered
its shrill, happy song, and Maui saw and heard. But the bird at that
time was without color in the eyes of the ancient people and only the
clear voice was heard, while no speck of bird life flecked the clear sky
overhead.

At one time a god from one of the other islands came to visit