Laing. — Revised Lisi of the Norfolk Island Flora. 7 



all these species formed portion of the original vegetation of the island, 

 which still exists much as it did before the island was inhabited. This 

 portion of the flora is quite what we might have expected to have found 

 in such a situation, and, as most of the species occur widely, they throw 

 no light on the origin of the remainder. 



The best account of the general characters of the original vegetation 

 is to be found in Backhouse's " Narrative of a Visit to the Australian 

 Colonies " (London, 1843). Maiden quotes most of Backhouse's descrip- 

 tions in his paper on the flora. 



Phillip Island. 



iso account of the vegetation of Norfolk Island would be complete with- 

 out some reference to the remarkable story of the vegetation of this out- 

 lying rock. According to Governor King (quoted by Maiden, p. 183), the 

 island was in 1788 sparsely wooded, and, where not wooded, covered with 

 a '" thick entangled kind of reed." Allan Cunningham, who visited the 

 island later, and was, indeed, marooned there by the convicts for a time, 

 found in the interior " some deep hollows," " in parts densely wooded 

 with small trees, and an underwood chiefly of the thorny caper bush 

 (Busbeckia nooUis)." Of this once comparatively plentiful vegetation no- 

 thing is now left but a few scattered trees. In most parts the island consists 

 of red, yellow, brown, volcanic tuff and disintegrated volcanic rocks of all 

 hues. The vegetation is obviously becoming yearly more sparse, and the 

 island is fast becoming a complete desert. Most of the trees had been 

 leafless shortly before I saw them, but, as the result of some earlier rains, 

 young shoots and leaves had broken out from the main branches. There 

 was practically no soil ; scarcely a seedling was to be seen anywhere, and 

 the rain-water had formed deep trenches in the bare volcanic "clay/' Not 

 a blade of grass was to be seen except in the clefts of the rocks near the 

 heach. The explanation given of the disappearance of the vegetation is 

 that originally pigs were put upon the island. These destroyed all the 

 undergrowth, grubbed among the roots, and so helped to loosen the soil, 

 which was then washed away by the rain. Subsequently rabbits were 

 introduced, and multiplied until they had eaten every green leaf within 

 reach, and gnawed the bark of most of the trees. They added to the 

 havoc commenced by the. pigs, and the destruction of the soil was practi- 

 cally completed by them. Rumour even states that food became so scarce 

 that the rabbits commenced to prey upon each other. There are no rabbits 

 on Norfolk Island itself. The rabbits, however, still exist on Phillip Island, 

 and I saw one or two which had been shot there. They were in moderately 

 good condition. It may be that this is the correct explanation of the 

 desiccation and destruction of the vegetation on the island ; at least. I 

 could find no other. Of course, a number of years of drought would also 

 furnish a fairly adequate explanation. At any rate, unless conditions alter 

 a great deal the island will shortly be completely desert, except for a few 

 plants growing in the clefts of the rocks and at the foot of the cliffs. 

 I saw no bio; trees on the island. The largest were one or two dead 

 Araucarias lying on the ground. The washing-away of the soil about 

 their roots had apparently caused their fall. 



Undoubtedly the presence of immense numbers of sea-birds also tends to 

 the destruction of the vegetation.* Red-tailed tropic-birds, gannets, wide- 

 awakes, and other birds were nesting on the island at the time of my visit. 



* Vide Cockayne, " Subantarctic Islands of New Zealand," p. 233. 



