THE GOOD AND EVIL INFLUENCES -- THE LIZARD ATUAS -- ALARM OF THE CHIEF -- MAORI PRAYERS -- DIFFICULTY IN TRANSLATING THEM -- THE SACRED LANGUAGE -- THE TOHUNGAS, OR PRIESTS -- BELIEF IN THE FUTURE STATE -- THE SACRED BRANCH -- THE MALEVOLENT SPIRITS -- HAUNTED MOUNTAINS -- THE TIKIS, OR SUPPOSED IDOLS OF THE MAORIES -- SOME GIGANTIC WOODEN TIKIS -- BELIEF IN WITCHCRAFT -- FATE OF A WITCH -- COUNTRY OF THE WIZARDS -- INCANTATION OVER THE SICK -- MAORI ANATOMISTS. We now come to the religion of the Maories. This is a curious mixture of simplicity and elaboration, having the usual superstitions common to all savage tribes, and being complicated with the remarkable system of “tapu,” or “taboo,” as the word is sometimes spelt. Of real religion they have no idea, and, so far as is known, even their superstitions lack that infusion of sublimity which distinguishes the religious system of many savage nations. They have a sort of indefinite belief in a good and evil influence; the former going by the generic name of Atua, and the latter of Wairua. Now, Atua is a word that has a peculiar significance of its own. It may signify the Divine Essence, or it may be applied to any object which is considered as a visible representative of that essence. Thus, if a Maori wishes to speak of God, he would use the word Atua. But he would equally apply it to a lizard, a bird, a sun-ray, or a cloud. There is one species of lizard, of a lovely green color, called by the natives _kakariki_, which is held in the greatest veneration as a living representative of divinity, and is in consequence always dreaded as an atua. The belief which the natives hold on this subject is well shown by an anecdote told by Mr. Angas. “The following incident will show how deeply the belief in witchcraft and the supposed influence of the atuas obtains among those who are still heathens. The missionary was shown some small green lizards preserved in a phial of spirits, Muriwenua and another man being in the room. We forgot at the moment that the little creatures in the phial were atuas, or gods, according to the superstitious belief of Maori polytheism, and inadvertently showed them to the man at the table.