366 Transactions. 



as the Bluff. Griselinia littoralis, Melicytus ramijlorus, Carpodetus serratus. 

 Pennant ia conjmbosa, Sophora microphyUa, Nothopanax arhoreum, Schefflera 

 digitata, Aristotelia racemosa, Fuchsia excorticata, Pittospjorum engenioides, 

 P. tenuifolium, and Hedycarya dentata are amongst the most abundant. 

 These support an abundant growth of climbers, which in some places render 

 the forest almost impenetrable. The most frequent are species of Rubus, 

 Pnrsonsia, Clematis, and Muehlenbeckia ; less common are Rhipogonum^ 

 Tetrapathaea, and Metrosideros hypericifolia. In the scrub which is found 

 interspersed with the forest-trees are Drimys colorata, various species of 

 Coprosma, Myrtus ohcordata, Melicope simplex, and a few other jilants. 

 On the forest-floor are Blechnum discolor, and PolysticJmm vestitum in large 

 quantities. By the side of the forest-streams Blechnum fluviatile, Blechnum 

 lanceolatum, Asplenium, hulhiferum, and Blechnum capense are the most 

 abundant species of ferns. In the darker creeks Leptopteris hymenophylloides 

 and Blechnum Patersoni appear. As a tree-parasite Loranthus micranthus is 

 abundant, while Tupeia antarctica is much less common. There are, too, 

 as in all parts of New Zealand, niany epiphytic ferns : Cyclophorus serpens, 

 Asplenium falcatum, Asplenium flaccidum, and Polypodium diversifolium 

 are common in such situations. On exposed windy ridges the forest tends 

 to pass out into the heath. 



The Upper Podocarp-Cedar Forest .— -Through the centre of the peninsula, 

 at an altitude of somewhat over 2,000 ft., runs a narrow belt of forest in 

 which Podocarpus Hallii and Libocedrus Bidwillii are the predominant 

 species. At its upward edge in places — e.g., Mounts Fitzgerald and 

 Sinclair — this passes into a still narrower belt of subalpine scrub, pro- 

 bably not more than 100 or 200 yards in width, and not well defined. 

 The absence of lowland trees, such as Myoporum, Dodonaea, and tree-ferns 

 further differentiates this forest from that of the lowland area ; otherwise 

 it is very similar. Griselinia littoralis, Drimys colorata. Fuchsia excorticata, 

 Nothopanax arboremn, and certain species of Coprosma are here in 

 increased abundance, along with several species of Rubus. 



The Destruction of the Forest. — Unfortunately, however, there are only 

 scraps of the forest left. Most of it has been destroyed with the advance 

 of settlement. Possibly 10 per cent, of the big trees were used for timber, 

 and the rest wastefully burnt. Of the extensive and almost continuous forest 

 that once blanketed the peninsula from Little River round the coast to 

 Pigeon Bay only scraps are left in the valleys and on tlie tops of the ridges, 

 and practically everywhere these remnants are run through by cattle. This 

 means that all the forest will be destroyed except for a few small and 

 imperfect reserves. The destruction took place in the half - century 

 between 1850 and 1900, and it is now practically complete. The largest 

 area still forested is on the southern side of Mount Herbert. It is some 

 two miles in length, and lies at an altitude of from 1,500 ft. to 2,500 ft. 

 It is in too higli and too bleak a situation to show the lower podocarp 

 forest at its best, but it contains well-preserved areas of the podocarp-cedar 

 forest and the subalpine scrub. 



Replacement of Vegetation in Forest Areas. — Where the bush land has 

 not been sown with cocksfoot, but natural causes have been allowed to 

 provide a secondary growth, considerable areas of bracken soon appear, 

 and this in its turn is often replaced by heath, consisting chiefly of the 

 two common species of manuka. Such areas are best seen where the 

 bush was early destroyed by Maoris, settlers, or even by accident, as in 

 Barry's Bay, Duvauchelle's Bay, Little River, Kaituna, and Port Levy. 



