34 Transactions. — Botany. 



to the botany of the lowlands. No situation could appear more 

 suitable for studying the botany of the district, as there is 

 along the coast at Torehina a great variety of land-formation. 

 A broad band of blue and green slate is succeeded by a pro- 

 jecting headland of breccia, and this again by beds of marly 

 limestone that show in the streams blocks of immense fossil 

 oysters {Ostrcea wullerstorfii) . This formation is again suc- 

 ceeded by excellent crystalline limestone, which in some 

 places forms cubical masses built up, as it were, of immense 

 slabs. These slabs are frequently almost entirely composed 

 of echinodermatous fossils. 



There is a large area of open fern-land, extending from 

 Torehina to Paparoa, a distance of four miles southward, 

 which is surrounded inland by well- wooded steep ridges. 



This open country was formerly occupied by Maoris, but 

 at present there remain only two Maori enclosures, that had 

 at the time of my visit each a few square yards of kumara and 

 hue {C'ucurbita). 



The streams on the sea side either flow over the slate in a 

 succession of waterfalls, or cut through the marly beds, or 

 force their way through rounded boulders of trachyte. The 

 outlet of each stream when it reaches the shore is banked up 

 by sand. 



The beach is in many places adorned by pohutukawa 

 (Metrosideros toynentosa) , that grows in great profusion, and 

 frequently forms large clumps that are very conspicuous when 

 the tree is in flower. It is not only on the beach that this 

 tree is found, but it extends inland, and grows at a consider- 

 able height on the ridges. 



The trees growing with the pohutukawa are karo, horoeka 

 [PittospoTiim crassifolium, P. umbcllatum), ngaio {MyoporiLm 

 Lcetum), karaka (Corynocarpus LcBvigatd), kowhai {Sophora 

 tctraptera) , and oho {Panax Jessoni). 



In sandy places, near the pohutukawa, Isolepis nodosa, in- 

 tertwined with Calystegia soldanella, quite covered the ground ; 

 and in rocky places Sicyos angulatus and Bidens pilosa are 

 sometimes very abundant. 



The clifTs that rise above the breccia on the beach are 

 covered with Mescmbryanthemum, Linum, Sonchus, Astelia 

 banksii, patches of Pasjjalam scrobiculatum, Bromus arenarius,. 

 Oxalis corniculata, and Arthropodium cirrhatiim. Cassinia 

 leptophylla and Veronica pubescens are not uncommon, and on 

 the islet-rocks at some distance from the shore Coprosma 

 baueriana is very conspicuous. 



The islets near the shore are worthy of some remarks, 

 as they extend, at various distances from the mainland, along 

 the coast from Coromandel Harbour to Cabbage Bay. They 

 can be observed in every stage of formation. In the first 



