152 Transactions. — Botany. 



group, in the direction of Norfolk Island and New Caledonia. 

 The Kermadec Islands may, therefore, he said to rest on a broad 

 submarine ridge connecting New Zealand with Tonga and Fiji. 

 A similar but much broader ridge joins New Zealand, by way of 

 Norfolk Island and Lord Howe's Island, with New Caledonia 

 and North-eastern Australia. 



The sole knowledge previously existing of the vegetation of 

 the Kermadec Islands was based on a small collection of plants 

 made on Sunday Island, in July, 1854, by Messrs. Milne and 

 McGillivray, the naturalists attached to H.M.S. Herald during 

 her surveying voyages in the South Seas. This collection was 

 placed in the hands of Sir J. D. Hooker, and formed the subject 

 of a very interesting paper entitled " On the Botany of Raoul 

 Island," which is printed in the " Journal of the Linnean 

 Society " (vol. i., Botany, pp. 125-120). The total number of 

 species collected was 41 (42 are enumerated in the list, but two 

 plants now usually considered to be varieties are treated as 

 distinct species). 



The conclusions arrived at by Sir J. D. Hooker from his 

 study of the collection may be summarised as follows: — (1.) 

 That the flora is most nearly allied to that of New Zealand, 

 the greater portion of the species being absolutely identical with 

 plants found in that country; (2.) That there is a remarkable 

 absence of any of the plants peculiar to Norfolk Island, which 

 is almost exactly the same distance from the Kermadec Islands 

 as New Zealand ; and (3.) That the proportion of Polynesian 

 species is much less than might have been reasonably ex- 

 pected. 



I may at once say that the larger and more complete col- 

 lection that I have been able to make bears out, in the main, 

 the above conclusions ; for, although I have been able to prove 

 that some of the peculiar Norfolk Island plants do occur on 

 Suuday Island, and although some Polynesian species not known 

 to Hooker are also found there ; still, there can be no doubt, to 

 use Sir J. D. Hooker's own words, that the affinities of the flora 

 "are most strong with that of New Zealand, and feeble to a 

 very unaccountable degree with the flora of those other groups 

 with which it might be expected to possess a very strong 

 relationship.'' 



Seen from the distance of a mile or two, Sunday Island has 

 much of the appearance of some of the outlying islands off the 

 New Zealand coast. Like most of these, it is high, steep, and 

 almost mountainous, intersected with numerous ravines, and 

 with a bold coast line, the cliffs often plunging abruptly into the 

 sea. The beach, with the exception of two sandy bays, is 

 everywhere composed of boulders and masses of rock ; and as 

 there is no harbour, or moderately sheltered bay, landing is 

 always difficult, and sometimes danger* us. Although situated 



