[Footnote 31: A mythical monster, presumed to have had the shape of a saurian, inhabited the sea and, according to some, the depths of vast forests. The powers of this demon for ill were boundless, and it was regarded with the deepest awe by every Maori.] [Footnote 32: A charm.] [Footnote 33: _Oestrelata neglecta_ (Schlegel's Petrel).] [Footnote 34: _Dinornis moa._] [Footnote 35: _Apteryx._] [Footnote 36: _Dammara australis_, the kauri pine.] [Footnote 37: This is no exaggeration.] [Footnote 38: A pine.] [Footnote 39: Red pine.] [Footnote 40: Black pine.] [Footnote 41: _Heteralocha acutirostris._] CHAPTER IV THE GROWTH OF THE RACE The various Maori tribes were not bound by any common tie save that of race, nor did they own allegiance to a chief chosen by all to rule over the whole nation. Their laws and customs were for the most part similar; but cohesion between them gradually dissolved as each tribe realised its ability to stand alone. The tribes (_iwi_) took origin in the family,[42] and were subdivided into sub-tribes (_hapu_), and, if the latter were large, into family groups, also termed _hapu_. Every division had its acknowledged chief, and the _ariki_, or chief of the highest class, who by right of birth stood at the head of the whole, was styled the Paramount Chief. Powerful though such a man was, his actions did not go unchecked; for that ancient principle, _noblesse oblige_, was strongly implanted in Maori of rank. For a chief to be convicted of lying, of cowardice, of tyranny was black disgrace, and were these vices proved against a lord paramount or the head of a sub-tribe or _hapu_, action was at once taken. The offender was not deposed, but another man of rank quietly took his place for all practical purposes, save one. A second check upon the chiefs was that mighty power which has been styled "the voice of God," namely, the voice of the people. General assemblies were from time to time convened, at which every man, and woman too, had the right to express opinions.[43] So, if only to escape the shame of exposure, the chiefs strove to conform to the established code of honour; but it is fair to say that they seem to have been animated by higher motives than concern for public opinion. Each tribe was thus practically a republic, governed by a perpetual President, whose dignity and office were hereditary, but who was obeyed by the people only so long as he continued to deserve their allegiance.