PUKEKO’S RED LEG AND BILL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXV, Issue 1095, 10 May 1913, Page 4

PUKEKO’S RED LEG AND BILL.

Do you know how it comes that the pukeko has red legs and bill asK a correspondent in the Eltham Argus? No? Well, here is the story, considerably condensed. One of Maui’s wives was very beautiful, and her name was RauKura. She was walking by a stream one' day. when a wicked tauiwha, Tuna-rua by name, who bad the form ol an eel, struck her with his tail and tumbled her into the stream, where he insulted her. Her husband, Maui, was indignant, and devised a scheme to puuish the bold tauiwha. So it was arranged that Rau-Kura was to walk by the stream nest day and by her blandishments coax Tuua-rua from the stream, when he would be attacked by Maui, who lay in ambush. Impressed by the lady’s beauty, ana deeming that her heart was softeuiug towards him, Tuua-rua lelt his native element, aud approached the now somewhat frightened woman. But Maui was at band, aud no sooner had Tunarua commenced a love speech than he was set upon by the enraged husband aud hacked to pieces, blood being freely bespattered all around. A pukeko was a witness of the combat, aud as he was running towards a raupo suamp his beak aud legs were smeared with the taniwha’s blood, and he has never been able to remove the stains. A little kakariki (parrakeet) also saw the encounter and got a splash of blood on his head, which is red to this day.