302 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF THE 



from its sides and even roof, some FiUces and Musci, new to 

 me, might be met with. However, I found the whole cryp- 

 togamous vegetation to consist of a Blecknum {Lomaria?) 

 an Aspidium, a Doodia, some INIosses and pheenogamous 

 plants, already noticed. This excavation, which at present 

 falls back in depth about sixty feet appeared to be enlarg- 

 ing by the disengaging of the decomposing or softer parts of 

 the sides and roof, which falling down on the area beneath, 

 is in part carried away by the impetuosity of those floods 

 which at periods swell the river to an increased rise of two 

 fathoms, when the cave is partially filled with the violent 

 eddy waters which are naturally formed by the increased 

 column at these periods. We found the marks of the flood 

 on the branches of the overhanginfj trees." 



On the 26th, they reached the mouth of the Hokianga 

 river, after a toilsome journey from the wretched native paths 

 they traversed, encumbered with a perfect network of matted 

 roots, rendering it both painful and dangerous from their 

 slippery state, to walk over; and also much inconvenience 

 was experienced from the continued rains that rendered their 

 bivouacs very unpleasant, and made the drying of botanical 

 specimens a very tedious and almost hopeless process. Of 

 the appearance of the headlands at the mouth of the river, 

 Mr Cunningham says, — " Nothing can exceed the extremes 

 of sterility its surface presents, the whole north Head appears 

 a ridge of drift sand fifty or sixty feet above the sea, of which 

 a large portion is perfectly devoid of vegetation. Many 

 patches we found upon landing, to be formed in part, of an 

 admixture of sand and argillaceous earth indurated by the 

 weather, and loaded with an incrustation of iron sandstone, 

 whose exterior presented nodules, fistulose or pipe-shaped 

 pieces of the same material were also found scattered on the 

 surface, where small pebbles of carnelian were not unfre- 

 quent. On a closer examination of this remarkable Head of 

 the river, it appears of the following geological structure: 

 the base or lowest stratum visible, is an indurated white clay 

 or marl (a few feet), its superincumbent a pudding-stone or 



