334 Transactions. 



distance from the margin. Besides the old shingle-fan on which the station 

 building is erected, there are at short distances in the neighbourhood various 

 other fans of different ages, some only recently formed and still quite bare, 

 others in different stages of being covered with vegetation. Near by, also, 

 are the large river-beds of the Cass and the Waimakariri Rivers, affording 

 ample opportunity for investigation of their peculiar vegetation. Several 

 mountains from 3,000 ft. to 5,000 ft. high are accessible at short distances 

 from the station, while a little farther off are many others of greater 

 height with their summits almost constantly snow-clad. On these moun 

 tains are numerous " shingle-slips," with their characteristic vegetation. 

 Arthur's Pass, with its rich profusion of alpine plants, can be readily 

 reached by a short train journey, and its vegetation could be studied 

 with the greatest ease, using the Mountain Biological Station as the base. 

 Across the Waimakariri River, only a few miles from the station, is the 

 great Waimakariri National Park, with its extensive beech forests, steep 

 valleys and snow-clad hills kept moist with the constant rainfall, and pro- 

 viding a wonderful variety of mosses, liver-worts, and lichens. 



Altogether it will be seen that the mountain station at the Cass pro- 

 vides opportunity for a more varied and extensive study of different kinds 

 of vegetation than is likely to be met with in a similar area in any part 

 of the world. 



The fauna of the district is less conspicuous, and appears to be little 

 varied ; but, although they are not very prominent, there are numerous 

 insects on the open country, and in the neighbouring bush a considerable 

 variety of insects, spiders, Myriapods, and other invertebrata ; while Lake 

 Sarah and the other lakes that are within easy reach will afford plenty 

 of material for the study of their plankton forms. 



The whole of the reserve has been used as part of a sheep-run, sheep 

 being still pastured on it, and in accordance with the. usual custom the 

 tussocks have been periodically burnt off in some areas. When portions 

 of the reserve are fenced off and the tussocks allow r ed to grow undisturbed 

 it will be possible to see how far the vegetation has been affected by the 

 treatment it has received in the past, and to make definite experiments 

 as to the best methods of preserving the natural pasture of the runs or 

 of improving it. A number of the introduced plants that usually spread 

 rapidly in New Zealand have made their appearance on the shingle-fan 

 and in the river-beds, but they are for the most part small and incon- 

 spicuous, and fortunately no gorse, broom, or other obnoxious shrubs have 

 as yet established themselves on the reserve. 



No definite records are yet available with regard to the meteorology 

 of the Cass Station. It lies at an altitude of 1,850 ft. above sea-level, in 

 one of the intermontane basins of Canterbury, and is surrounded at 

 a distance of from three to six miles by several peaks rising to a height 

 of 4,000 ft. to 5,000 ft. On the north and north-west, at no great distance, 

 lie the mountains forming the main chain of the Southern Alps, separated 

 from the station, however, by the broad valley of the Waimakariri ; to 

 the south and south-east, beyond Castle Hill, Mount Torlesse, and other 

 outliers of the main range, lie the extensive treeless plains of Canterbury 

 at a considerably greater distance. 



The air is bright and clear, and on fine days the solar radiation is very 

 great, while at night cooling rapidly takes place, especially in those parts 

 which lose the sun early in the shadow of the hills. Frosts are frequent 

 practically throughout the summer : there was a sharp frost on the 8th 

 March, 1915. The prevailing wind is from the north-west, which deposits 



