a settlers' corruption of the Maoriword Whata (q.v.).
1895. W.S. Roberts, `Southland in 1856,'p. 28:
«These stores were called by the Europeans futters, – – butthe Maori name was Whata.»
1896. `Southland Daily News,' Feb. 3:
«`Futtah is familiar as `household words.' There were alwaysrats in New Zealand – – that is, since any traditions of its fauna existed. The original ones were good to eat.They were black and smooth in the hair as the mole of the OldCountry, and were esteemed delicacies. They were alwaysmischievous, but the Norway rat that came with the white manwas worse. He began by killing and eating his aboriginalcongener, and then made it more difficult than ever to keepanything eatable out of reach of his teeth. Human ingenuity,however, is superior to that of most of the lower animals, andso the `futtah' came to be – – a storehouse on four posts, each ofthem so bevelled as to render it impossible for the cleverestrat to climb them. The same expedient is to-day in use onStewart Island and the West Coast – – in fact, wherever properlyconstructed buildings are not available for the storage ofthings eatable or destructible by the rodents in question.»