412 Transactions. — Botany. 



number refused to leave their liomes, aucl struck out valiantly 

 with their sharp bills at the legs of the intruders ; and we 

 all of us found that a peck from the bill of a gannet, vigor- 

 ously delivered, was by no means to be despised. They 

 do not construct a nest, but deposit a single egg anywhere 

 in a slight hollow. The eggs were just beginning to hatch, 

 and we saw plenty of young baby gannets — ugly fat slate- 

 coloured lumps, without a particle of down or feathers. 

 Later on they acquire a most beautiful covermg of snow- 

 white down, but we were too early in the season to find them 

 in this stage. 



There is but little vegetation on that portion of the ridge 

 occupied by the birds. The edges of the cliffs on either side 

 are festooned with ice-plant {Mesembryanthemnm), samphire 

 (Salicoriiia), Bliagodia, Senecio lautits, and other well-known 

 coast plants. Here and there patches of Captain Cook's 

 scurvy-grass (LejncUum oleraceum) were growing vigorously 

 on the highly-manured ground. This plant must have been 

 much more common at the time of Cook's visit than now. 

 In some of the localities where he collected it for the use of 

 his crew it is well-nigh extinct. 



Leaving our friends the gulls and gannets behind, and climb- 

 ing higher up towards the central peak of the island, the first 

 vegetation encountered was composed of patches of toetoe 

 grass, flax, tea-tree, short-stemmed cabbage-trees {Cordijlinc) 

 and Hynicnanthera latifoUa. We passed on rapidly through 

 this, being anxious to reach the light bush which covered the 

 rest of the slope before us, and which was mainly composed 

 of a handsome large-leaved tree which stood out very con- 

 spicuously in the distance. AVc had first noticed it from the 

 deck of the steamer, and had then taken it for the rare puka 

 tree {Mcryta sinclairii), hitherto supposed to be confined to the 

 Morotiri or Taranga Isles (Hen and Chickens), off Whangarei, 

 and now we found that our surmise was correct. Further 

 examination proved that nearly the whole of the northern 

 side of the island, where not too steep, was covered with it. 

 Growing massed together in this way, its large and bold 

 foliage produced a very striking effect. In sheltered places it 

 was often mixed with luxuriant specimens of the cabbage-tree 

 {Cordyline australis), and the combination gave quite a 

 tropical aspect to the scenery, which was enhanced by the 

 undergrowth being chiefly composed of the large-leaved form 

 of the kawakawa (Piper CTCchum) socojnmonin the Kermadec 

 Islands, and of unusually luxuriant specimens of Fteris 

 comans. The average height of the puka was from 10ft. or 

 15ft. to 20ft., but specimens almost 30ft. in height were 

 noticed. At the time of our visit the female trees were 

 ornamented with large bunches of purplish-black berries. 



