8 Transactions. 



Some of the few remaining trees were full of sea-birds, and their branches 

 almost white with their dung. These birds no doubt assist considerably 

 in the destruction of the vegetation, but they cannot account for its present 

 rapid disappearance. 



Phillip Island contained three endemic species : Hibiscus insularis Endl., 

 Streblorrhiza speciosa, and Triticum Kingianum. Of these, I obtained the 

 first and the third. The second is almost certainly extinct. Maiden adds 

 a fourth species, but this (Solanum Bauerianum) occurs also on Lord Howe. 

 To save space I have not drawn up a separate list of species for this island. 

 They will be found included in the main list. 



A description of the physiographic features of Norfolk Island by myself, 

 and the microscopic characters of the rocks by R. Speight, M.A., M.Sc, will 

 lie found in the Transactions of the New Zealand Institute for 1913. 



Origin of Flora. 



As already stated, I do not intend to deal with the origin of the flora 

 An investigation into it can only be taken in conjunction with a discussion 

 of the distribution of the fauna. A rough statement, however, may be 

 made of the results obtained as shown by this paper. 



An analysis of the species of phanerogams on the island gives the follow- 

 ing results : 41 per cent, are found outside Australasia, and may be regarded 

 as representing a Malayo-Australasian element ; 29 per cent, are endemic ; 

 14 per cent, are Australasian ; 7 per cent, are found only in Norfolk Island 

 and Australia ; of the remaining 9 per cent., approximately 5 per cent, are 

 confined to Norfolk Island and New Zealand, and the remainder are found 

 either in the Kermadecs, or Lord Howe, or in all three groups. Now, such a 

 bare analysis is most misleading if used as a platform for rigid conclusions. 

 Perhaps all that can be concluded from it is that the basis of the Norfolk 

 Island flora is an element widely distributed in the eastern subtropical 

 South Pacific. The remainder is Australasian. 



A Short Bibliography. 



This list includes only the chief books and articles referred to by me. 

 For a more complete bibliography Maiden's work should be consulted. 



1. " Prodromus Florae Norfolkicae." Endlicher, Vienna, 1833. 



2. " Hooker's London Journal of Botany," vol. i, 1842. " Biographical 



Sketch of the late Allan Cunningham." (This includes a list of 

 plants discovered by Cunningham on the island, but not appearing 

 in Endlicher.) (I have not seen this. — R. M. L.) 



3. " Narrative of a Visit to the Australian Colonies." By J. Backhouse, 



London, 1843. (An excellent description of the general facies of the 

 vegetation in the early convict days is given.) 



4. " Flora Australiensis." Bentham, 1863. (This contains many records 



of Norfolk Island species.) 



5. " On the Geographic Relations of the Floras of Norfolk and Lord Howe 



Islands." By R. Tate. " Macleay Memorial Volume," Sydney. 

 (This gives a somewhat unreliable list of the species of both islands.) 



6. " The Flora of Norfolk Island," part i. By J. H. Maiden, Government 



Botanist of New South Wales. (Proceedings of the Linnean Society 

 of New South Wales, 1903.) 



7. " l Manual of the New Zealand Flora." By T. F. Cheeseman, Wellington, 



1906. 



8. " Vegetation of the Kermadec Islands." By W. B. B. Oliver, Trans. 



N.Z. Inst,, vol. 42, p. 118, 1910. 



