Colenso. — On Waikaremoaua District. 369 



Having gained the summit of the range we found travelling 

 easy, for in these forests, where the broad-leaved Fagits is the 

 principal tree, there is but little underwood ; indeed, plants 

 generally seem as if they disliked the shade of these trees, 

 probably, however, owing to the falling of its rather thick 

 and dry leaves, that do not soon decay. In these woods I 

 first found a peculiar little hexandrous plant, which proved 

 to be a species of a very small and curious South American 

 genus — Galliucene* — and with it a new terrestrial Orchis, \ 

 a pretty little plant with a single leaf bearing a long one- 

 flowered scape. The natives had told us before we started 

 that we might expect rain on these mountains (they having a 

 proverb to the effect that it is never dry in these parts) ; and 

 so, indeed, it came to pass. After we had proceeded for 

 about two hours it began to pour down in torrents ; no shelter 

 being at hand, we were obliged to continue our march in the 

 cold and pelting rain. I much regretted the state of the 

 weather, as I had every reason to expect many new and rare 

 plants in these elevated regions. The family of ferns pre- 

 sented the most lovely spectacle this day I ever witnessed. 

 In these deeply-shaded ever-humid recesses my enchanting 

 Toclca supcrba and Lomaria rotundifolia\ flourished in perfec- 

 tion, the densely-covered and dark-green fronds of the former 

 contrasting so beautifully with the light-coloured, elegant, and 

 membranaceous ones of the latter. The fronds of these ferns 

 were grouped in ever-living circles of green, from 5ft. to 6ft. in 

 diameter, many single fronds of either plant measuring up- 

 wards of 3ft. in length. Another new species of Lomaria% 

 I also found growing in these spots. Notwithstanding the 

 warning of the elements, I gazed entranced upon these 

 beautiful productions of nature, and wished much to 

 secure good specimens. I was obliged, however, under 

 existing circumstances, to content myself with a couple 

 of specimens of each new species, and these, too, hastily 

 gathered and put up dripping wet into the bosom of my 

 wet cloak, to the very great astonishment of my native com- 

 panions. A beautiful and delicate large white lichen here 

 grew on the trees, causing, in some situations, a very striking 

 effect. The densely-wooded mountains over which I this day 

 passed were chiefly composed of sandstone, which showed 

 itself in different stages of decomposition in the very numerous 

 slips in their sides. In descending one of those recent gorges 



* C. parviflora, Hook. 



t AdenocJiilus gracilis, Hook. f. 



\ Now Lomaria fluviatilis, Spreng. 



§ L. latifolia, mihi, described, with others, in " Tasmanian Journal 

 of Natural Science," vol. ii., p. 175, but placed by Hook. f. as a var. 

 of L. procera, in which, however, I cannot agree. 

 24 



