336 Transactions. — Zoology. 



After this the track is very steep, and at about 3,800 ft. the birch- 

 trees, which have become, as usual, very gnarled and stunted 

 and thickly covered with lichens and mosses, suddenly end, and 

 the open grassy country of the high mountain is reached, this 

 elevation apparently representing the usual line of permanent 

 snow. 



I have seldom seen a mountain so richly covered with alpine 

 plants as Mount Holdsworth, and I feel satisfied that it would 

 be a locality of extreme interest to a botanist. Amongst many 

 others, I observed the following familiar plants in great pro- 

 fusion : Mountain - lily (Ranunculus insignis ?), spear - grass 

 (Aciphylla squarrosa and A. colensoi or allied species), various 

 s vci \s of Celmisia, &c. The only introduced plant I noticed 

 was the "cape-weed" (Hypochceris), which was in profusion at 

 about 4,000 ft. The exceptionally efficient means of dispersal 

 with which its seeds are endowed no doubt explains its appear- 

 ance so high on the mountain. 



From the bush-line to the top of the mountain the distance is 

 about three miles, and the ascent is very easy. The view obtained 

 from the top is very fine, embracing Mount Egmont to the north- 

 west, the Island of Kapiti, the Straits, and a considerable part 

 of the northern portion of the South Island, including Mount 

 Tapuaenuku, to the west, the opposite side of the ranges which 

 close in the head of the Hutt Valley could be recognised to the 

 south, and the long, low ranges of hills on the east coast, and 

 beyond these the ocean could clearly be seen. 



During my visit I made two successful ascents of Mount 

 Holdsworth. On one occasion the weather was absolutely 

 perfect, on the other somewhat cloudy and too cool for many 

 insects to be about. It was, however, evident that I was too late 

 in the season for many of the high alpine species, so that further 

 visits are necessary earlier in the year, and the second week in 

 January would probably be about the best time to find the 

 greatest number of species. 



I specially looked out for the two mountain butterflies, 

 Erebia plvto and Erebia butleri, but could see nothing of them, 

 and feel sure that, had they been present, some specimens would 

 have been in evidence. I should mention, in support of this 

 contention, that these butterflies are found as late as the middle 

 of March on the mountains in the South Island, where they occur. 

 I was not, however, altogether surprised at the absence of these 

 ins'cts, as they have never yet been recorded from the North 

 Island. The same remarks apply to Argyrophenga antipodum, 

 which is exclusively an alpine butterfly in the provinces of Nelson 

 and Marlborough, but is found abundantly elsewhere in the South 

 Island, both on mountains and in tussock country. 



