Chapmax. — On the Islands soutli of Nen- Zealand. 507 



the day in a rich harvest of botanical treasures, \Yhile Mr. Bell, 

 with a ship's boat, was treating the boys to some shooting and 

 boating in the sound. The walking was extremely heavy, and 

 before the day was out we v>-ere pretty tired. On the summit^ 

 to our surprise, we found albairoses nesting : they were rather 

 young birds, and nearly all the nests were new, the rarity of 

 old nests showing that this place is little used : indeed, Captain 

 Fairchild had not before noticed it as a nesting-place. We 

 procured half a dozen eggs. As we descended we saw that 

 the steamer's anchor was up and that we were w'anted on 

 board. It was near 8 p.m. when we reached the ship's boat, 

 dragging our way through the heavy tangle. On the way 

 down we saw pretty green parrakeets ; and my brother, Mr. 

 M. Chapman, caught a snipe with liis hands. 



The vessel moved to an anchorage some miles to the east, 

 and we then found that the firemen and stewards had been 

 gathering albatros eggs on the mountains ; and all hands were 

 kept up until two o'clock in the morning, getting down one of 

 of their mates who had been knocked up. It was interesting 

 to watch the movements of their lanterns and even hear their 

 cheers at a height of 1,500ft. At 10 p.m. the twilight was 

 still strong enough to enable me to read on deck. 



Next morning the captain led a party of albatros-lmnters. 

 A few birds were wanted for museums, and everybody seemed 

 to w^ant eggs. We landed at the cove where the sealers' huts 

 are, though we did not see them. The road led through a bit 

 of bush, very dense, but traversed by a sealers' track. These 

 sealers make an easy road across the island, and, when they 

 arrive at the cliffs at the other side, lower some of their number 

 to the ledges and caves where these slaughter seals. The 

 slayers and the skins are then drawn up. It is wholly illegal, 

 but it goes on, so that the fur-seals are nearly exterminated. 

 From the rata bush {Mctrosideros Iiicida) we climbed a spur 

 which had been swept by snow, killing the grass and making 

 the going easy. It was a steep climb, with some tiring work, 

 but nothing very difficult. The men who had laid down their 

 eggs the night before when carrying their mate got them again 

 without difficulty, and we crossed the saddle at a height of 

 1,900ft. (by the aneroid) in one hour and ten minutes. From 

 here, as from our point of vantage yesterday, we had a wide 

 view of the islands. Carnley Harbour, with all its arms, lay 

 as a map before us. Had we sought the sunmiit, a few hundred 

 feet higher, we might perhaps have seen Port Koss and mapped 

 the country. Towards the south the view was uninterrupted 

 as far as the horizon. About the summit of the ridge there 

 were many interesting plants. Cclmisia vernicosa covered 

 acres of ground, and was in full flower, being somewhat later 

 at this altitude than down below. This beautiful little peren- 



