Cockayne. — Botanical Excursion to Southtrn Islands. 233 



a precipitous wall of cliffs varying from 60m. to 243m. in 

 height, and which can be climbed with extreme diftJculty, ac- 

 cording to Mr. W. Joss, in one or two places. The eastern 

 coast, on the contrary, is deeply cut into by numerous mlets, 

 resembling the west coast sounds of the South Island of New 

 Zealand in miniature. Norman's Inlet, the most southerly 

 of any size, and the largest, penetrates into the island for a 

 distance of about six miles. Port Boss, in the north, and the 

 North Arm of Carnley Harbour, in the south, also extend for 

 about a similar distance inland. This irregularity of the 

 eastern seaboard is of considerable phytogeographical import- 

 ance, since it leads to an extensive coast-line, and to many 

 stations differing considerably with regard to exposure to sun 

 and wind. The numerous gullies which lie between the spurs 

 of the hills or seam the hillside contain streams of consider- 

 able size if the small extent of land-surface of the island be 

 considered. Enderby Island, Ewiug Island, and Rose Island 

 are flat or undulating, but they also have many coastal cliffs. 

 Disappointment Island is high land clad with meadow and 

 low forest or scrub. It has never been visited botanically. 



GEOLOGY. 



The followmg is extracted from a paper by Sir James 

 Hector entitled "Note on the Geology of the Outlying 

 Islands of New Zealand," (41) which contains the results of 

 his observations made during the visit to the Southern Islands 

 in 1895 mentioned in my introduction : " Auckland Island is 

 clearly connected with the Snares by a ridge or plateau, the 

 soundings ranging from 86 fathoms to 196 fathoms only. So 

 far as seen Auckland Island is altogether volcanic, and closely 

 resembles the rock-structure of Banks Peninsula." "Along 

 the east coast there is a succession of harbours or mlets like 

 those in Banks Peninsula, the steep shores of which are 

 formed of successive sheets of basaltic lava often columnar 

 and varying from 10 ft. to 80 ft. in thickness. These are 

 separated by brightly coloured layers of volcanic tufa or ashes 

 containing blocks of all sizes." "Disappointment Island is 

 probably a • neck ' or ' dyke ' through which some of the 

 igneous rocks have been extruded." " The south side of 

 xA.dams Island is the most exposed part of the Aucklands, and 

 presents cliffs composed, as exposed in sections, of horizontal 

 layers of basalt and tufa to a height of 1,900 ft., some of the 

 cliffs being 1,400 ft. sheer down. The lava-sheets vary in 

 thickness from 10 ft. to 80 ft., and there is evidence of not less 

 than seventy distinct outpourings still preserved above the 

 sea-level. Soundings three miles off shore from the South 

 Cape gave 95 fathoms (575 ft.). The average dip of the lava- 

 flows to the eastward is 7°. The width of the island in this 



