start I could find no other Maori name for this toy than mira hau, literally the mill of the wind, and mira is obviously a corruption of the English word mill, so almost reluctantly I at first decided that in spite of its wide usage the mira hau must be an early European toy taught to the Maori children by early whalers and traders. However, later on I noticed how Sir Peter Buck (Trans. N.Z. Inst. Vol. 56, 1926, fig. 54) illustrates this plait as a bait rest (paemounu) for a form of net (torehe) used on the East Coast and Bay of Plenty. In 1951 I visited Tatana Whare-papa, Te Kaha, Bay of Plenty, and met his family. Mrs Whare-papa was formerly Kerama Ngakau Tuhou, daughter of the second Lady Ngata. In course of conversation the Maori wind-mill, mira hau, was mentioned; but Kerama Whare-papa said this was an old Maori toy. She was brought up by her grandmother, Tererino Ruku Hine Tiurangi of Mangahanea, Ruatoria, who made the wind-mill sixty or more years ago. It was known as Tititi parerera, and was correctly made of raupo. As they used this toy, children made their avocation to the god of the wind to make their wind-mills turn: “Homai ra he hau motaku titi parerera.” We have in fig. 3 a series of three drawings made to illustrate this plait. The first drawing illustrates very well the method of manufacture. Two blades of flax of equal width are taken. We cross these as seen on the back of the completed toy, no. 2, then we bend each blade in the shape of a letter N. Study how cleverly the two ends are folded into each other as in the first and last figures. Then try it. Pull the two ends together tightly and the first stage is completed. If the arms are cut off short, a hole placed in the centre and a fern stalk used as a handle, we have our windmill complete, but when making rope naturally we would continue to fold the ends one into the other continuously as in the first operation, new pieces being added as required. ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ Miss Patricia Mathison, a 29-year-old Maori policewoman, recently topped the examination marks for policewomen passing out of the police training school. Trentham. She is one of the few representatives of the Maori race in the women's section of the force. Figure 2, Nos. 1 to 6: The beginning of the plait called whiri kawe. (E. H. Atkinson del.) Miss Mathison's police school “dux” consisted in gaining highest aggregate marks for three final examinations. When her marks were included with those of men candidates in the same training course she was second highest for the whole school. In two debates held at the Trentham school she was leader of her team and in each debate she was adjudged best speaker. She won most of the athletic events contested among women candidates at the school, carrying on a record she started when she served in the Army. Miss Mathison joined the police force in October 1955. Her people are farmers at Okato, on the Cape Egmont coast in Taranaki. Figure 3: A Maori windmill, No. 1: How the windmill is constructed. No. 2: Back view. No. 3: Front view of completed windmill. (S. Traill, Mrs Natusch, del.)