182 Transactions. — Zoology, 



The general bush consists of — 



Manuka Eewarewa Rata 



Puriri Nikau Taridi 



Tawa Maire Punga 



Eimu Miro Pohutukawa 



The Pohutukawa about Christmas -time gives this island the 

 appearance of a large rose garden, when these trees are covered 

 with their red blossoms, on which the honey-eaters delight 

 themselves from early morn till late in the evening, climbing 

 about from one blossom to another to suck the honey. The 

 korimoko may also sometimes be seen chasing a tui, making 

 various evolutions in the air, and, on returning, making the 

 place ring with their powerful whistle. On the heights are 

 numerous shrubs similar to the vegetation on the New Zealand 

 Alps. Some of the gullies are very dense with creepers, such as 

 supplejack, "lawyers," and a large variety of ferns and moss. 

 There are several creeks : four have their outflow north, one north- 

 east, two south, three west. There are some minor ones, but 

 in summer most of them get dry, except one north, one south, 

 and one west, which always have water, especially the one in 

 the centre of the island. There are some large and deep water- 

 holes, and in some places the creeks are narrow. The moun- 

 tains are nearly perpendicular and of various shapes and forms, 

 some bare, others grown over with low vegetation ; the scenery 

 is wild, but very romantic: some places are so broken that I 

 was obliged to use a rope for puUing up and letting down my 

 provisions and dog. In one locality, I could not find a place 

 to camp without the risk of rolling over the cliffs, and had to 

 tie myself to a tree. The formation is mostly conglomerate, and 

 dark rock similar to basalt. 



Having described the island, I will now bring before you 

 the advantages Hauturu Island possesses over others for pro- 

 tecting and preserving the birds. Firstly, there are only three 

 landiiig-i)laces ; two are known to the coasting vessels : one on 

 the south-western side, where the Maori settlement is, the 

 other is lialf-a-milc west, where I had my camp ; but even 

 these places have boulder shores, and the landing is dangerous, 

 as a heavy surf rolls in constantly, except when the weather ia 

 north or north-east and there is no swell on. On the south- 

 western side, on top of the hill, one can overlook both landing- 

 places. Here the land is not so broken, and could be culti- 

 vated. The third landing-place, a boulder beach on the 

 eastern portion of the island, is very rough. I had a boat 

 smashed into fragments by the surf at this place. There 

 is no fresh water near it in snmmer. One good mac, who 

 took a delight in his duty, could act as overseer on the whole 

 island. 



