27$ A NATURALIST ON THE "CHALLENGER." 



necessarily contrasts unfavourably in appearance with Sydney. 

 The buildings are all of wood, even Government House. There 

 is one long principal street following the shore, and the 

 remainder is more or less scattered. Tattooed Maories were to 

 be seen commonly walking about in the streets, but all in 

 European costume, reminding one somewhat of English gipsies. 



The coast hills in the general appearance and colour of their 

 vegetation, as seen from sea, recalled Kerguelen's Land, especially 

 the shores about D' Urville Island, but all the valleys and inland 

 slopes are covered with a dense forest and almost impenetrable 

 bush. The trees are covered with epiphytic ferns, and Astelias, 

 Liliaceous epiphytes, which, perched in the forks of the branches, 

 remind one in their habit and appearance of the Bromeliaceous 

 epiphytes of Tropical America. 



One of the most remarkable trees which was pointed out 

 to me by Mr. T. Kirk, E.L.S., is the Eata, a Metrosideros, M. 

 Rohusta. This, though a Myrtaceous plant, has all the, habits of 

 the Indian figs * reproducing them in the closest manner. It 

 starts from a seed dropped in the fork of a tree, and grows 

 downward to reach the ground; then taking root there, and 

 gaining strength, chokes the supporting tree and entirely destroys 

 it, forming a large trunk by fusion of its many stems. Never- 

 theless, it occasionally grows originally directly from the soil, 

 and then forms a trunk more regular in form. Another Metro- 

 sideros, M. florida, is a regular climber. 



I did not see many birds. The gull of Kerguelen's Land 

 (Larus Dominicanus) was common in the harbour. On the 

 telegraph wires along the shore sat a Kingfisher (Hcdcyon 

 sanctus) in abundance, and dashed down from thence on its 

 prey into the shallow water of the harbour. It interested me 

 because it was the first Kingfisher that I had thus seen leading 

 a littoral existence and feeding on sea fish. I afterwards became 

 familiar with Kingfishers thus inhabiting the seashores in the 

 Straits of Magellan and the coast of Oregon in North-west 

 America. In the poulterers' shops the curious parrot, or Kaka, 

 Nestor Meridionalis, is hung up for sale. Mr. Potts describes this 



* T. Kirk, F.L.S., " On the Habit of the Eata, Metrosideros robusta." 

 Trans. New Zealand Inst, Vol. IV., 1871, p. 267. 



