268 TransactioJis. — Botany. 



Island and 330 miles south by east fronn the South Cape of 

 Stewart Island. It was discovered in 1810 by Frederick 

 Hazelburgh, master of the brig "Perseverance," who de- 

 scribed the island as being thirty miles in circumference, 

 and the country mountainous (90, p. 417). 



The general configuration of the island can be seen from 

 the accompanying map. Although the mountains ai-e not 

 quite so high as those of the Auckland Islands, they are some- 

 what steeper and moi'e rocky. The coast-line for the most 

 part consists of abrupt cliff's not unlike those near the en- 

 trance of Akaroa Harbour, and it is described by Hooker as, 

 "Iron-bound as that of St. Helena, the rocks assuming even 

 a wilder and more fantastic form." Buchanan's drawings 

 (9, pi. xxxviii.) give some idea of the island as seen from 

 the sea. 



The " Hinemoa " stayed the whole of two days, so I was 

 enabled to see a good deal of certain parts of the island, 

 ascending the first day to the summit of Mount Honey, 

 568m., the highest point on the island, and on the second 

 day crossing over Lyall's Pyramid from Perseverance Har- 

 bour to North-east Harbour. My notes are therefore con- 

 fined to the country in the east of Campbell Island, much of 

 which, as may be seen further on, is no longer in its primitive 

 condition, owing to fires and the grazing of sheep for some 

 seven years past. 



CLIMATE. 



From Mr. Gordon, manager of the sheep-run on Campbell 

 Island, I have received very many valuable details respecting 

 the climate. This, on the whole, seems very similar to that 

 of Auckland Island. There is the same lack of sunshine and 

 similar frequent gales accompanied by driving rain and sleet, 

 especially in spring and autumn. The driest period, if we 

 can speak at all of such in these Southern Islands, is from 

 November to May. Sunshine is most frequent during the 

 summer months, but even when bright at sea-level there is 

 generally more or less fog on the higher peaks. The snowfall 

 at sea-level is very sUght, Mr. Gordon having noted 76 mm. as 

 the heaviest fall during a period of seven years. Such snow 

 comes in blasts from tlie south-west, while these gales are 

 frequently accompanied by hail. During five winters the 

 thermometer at sea-level only registered 2" Fahr. of frost. 

 In what I designate the " subalpine region " the frost is cer- 

 tainly much stronger than the above. Although on the day 

 when I climbed Mount Honey there was no frost at sea-level, 

 above a certain altitude the ground was frozen so hard that I 

 could not dig up the plants in order to examine their subter- 

 ranean organs ; but there was no general covering of snow, 

 only a few patches here and there. Such frost without a pro- 



