Chkeseman. — On the Flora of the Kermadec Islands. 15$ 



on the verge of the tropics, it has none of the characteristics of 

 a tropical island, and its vegetation, when seen from a moderate 

 distance, has precisely the monotonous dull brownish-green tint 

 so noticeable while sailing along the shores of New Zealand. 



In shape, Sunday Island is roughly triangular. Its greatest 

 length, from Hutchinson Bluff, the western termination of the 

 island, to Wilson Point on the east side, is about 6^ miles. 

 The greatest breadth, measuring from Fleetwood Bluff on the 

 north to Smith Bluff at the southern extremity of Denham Bay, 

 is a little over 4 miles. The total area is estimated by Mr. 

 Smith at 7,260 acres. It is purely volcanic in structure, and 

 the centre of the island is occupied by a large crater more than 

 a mile in diameter. The encircling rim of this is steep, and in 

 many places precipitous. On the south side its average height 

 is over 1,000 feet, rising in the south-east corner to 1,720 feet, 

 the highest point on the island ; but on the north it is much 

 lower, falling in one place to 180 feet. The floor of the crater 

 is undulating, and contains three little crater lakes, by the side 

 of one of which steam is still escaping. The soil is rich and 

 fertile, but exceedingly porous, so much so that there are no 

 permanent streams, although the rainfall is evidently large, and 

 distributed pretty equally over the whole year. 



Except a limited area on the floor of the crater, the whole of 

 the island is covered with forest, from the water's edge to the 

 tops of the highest peaks. The prevailing tree, forming two- 

 thirds or more of the vegetation, is the widely diffused Metro- 

 sideros polymorpha, which seems to range through the greater 

 part of Polynesia, from the Sandwich Islands and Tahiti to Fiji 

 and New Caledonia. It is very closely allied to our pohutu- 

 kawa (21. towentosa), differing chiefly in its rather smaller size, 

 smaller rounder leaves, and smaller clusters of flowers. Young 

 trees growing on level ground are often very symmetrical in 

 shape, with numerous closely placed branches, but on the steep 

 ridges, where it attains its greatest size, it is much more dis- 

 torted and gnarled. Sometimes the trunk or main branches 

 spread out horizontally a few feet above the ground, sending up 

 numerous erect branches, which at a distance look like separate 

 trees. It produces the only really good and durable timber 

 found on the island, and might be applied to all the purposes for 

 which pohutukawa is used. 



Next to the Metrosideros, the most abundant and conspicuous 

 plant is a palm, which I take to be Kentia baneri, hitherto sup- 

 posed to be confined to Norfolk Island. It is a much larger and 

 more handsome species than our nikau (Kentia sapida), with a 

 stouter cleaner stem, and more numerous leaves with broader 

 leaflets. It was in fruit at the time of our visit, and the bright 

 red berries, collected in large clusters at the top of the trunk, 

 had a very fresh and pretty appearance. It is not nearly so 



