Brown. — On the Genus Orthotrichum. 423 



For the first twelve days there was but one dry day. It 

 raiued incessantly the whole time, both night as well as day. 

 Dense bush covered the land from the water's edge to the line 

 of scrub, the summit of the hills being the only portions un- 

 covered. The prevailing cryptogamic vegetation was Hepa- 

 ticae, mosses being much less common. All were soaking with 

 water, and growing in great luxuriance, and had been for ages. 

 They had accumulated to a considerable depth, and the foot 

 in walking over them left a track as if walking in snow r . I 

 saw no species of Orthotrichum in this locality, although con- 

 stantly looking for them. They are also very rare between 

 Milford Sound and Lake Te Anau, this also being a wet 

 locality. 



Bush-clearing has destroyed many of the habitats of this 

 moss ; but, on the other hand, where trees have been planted 

 extensively, and allowed to remain for a number of years, new 

 habitats have been created. As an instance of the latter, in 

 November, 1886, I had been examining the trees in the neigh- 

 bourhood of the Biver Avon, at Christchurch, for mosses, and 

 on one only did I find two species. Since that period these 

 species have extended to a large number of trees in that 

 locality, and also to trees near the Biver Wairarapa, Fen- 

 dalton. 



Only ten New Zealand species have thus far been described 

 or identified. Five of these are described in the "Handbook 

 of the New Zealand Flora," viz., 0. calvum, 0. pumilum, 0. 

 ruteum, 0. crassifolium, and 0. angustifolium, the two last 

 being found in Campbell Island. 0. pumilum (from a very 

 imperfect New Zealand specimen) has been identified as the 

 moss of the same name growing in Europe. 



From the description there given, I know I do not possess 

 specimens of 0. crassifolium and 0. angustifolium ; and from 

 the brief description of the other three I am unable to identify 

 a single plant out of my collection. 



In the " Transactions and Broceedings of the New Zealand 

 Institute," vols. xxv. and xxvi., Mr. Beckett has collected from 

 various sources descriptions and identifications of four of the 

 remaining five species — namely, 0. rupestre (Sch.), 0. tas- 

 manicum (H. f. and W.), 0. lateciliatum (Venturi), and 0. 

 hortense (Bosw T ell). The remaining plant he (Mr. Beckett) 

 has collected and described in vol. xxv. of the same publica- 

 tion, which has been named by Dr. Muller 0. grapMomi- 

 trium. This last one I have been enabled to identify as a plant 

 collected by me at Moa Creek, June, 1884, and since then in 

 the bush near the Biver Whistler, Buketirake Bange, Arthur's 

 Bass, and Clinton Glen, head of Lake Te Anau, with this dif- 

 ference : that in all the specimens I have the leaves are erecto- 

 patent and not spreading as there described. This plant has 



