382 Transactions 



with success the subjoined catalogue will show, but I feel sure 

 that a diligent search would yield many more interesting dis- 

 coveries to an intelligent and persevering collector. 



In a mountainous district there is so much more surface to 

 travel over than where the country is flat, and to do anything 

 approaching justice to the botany of the district I found it ne- 

 cessary to examine the slopes and summits of sixteen mountains. 

 Of those forming the chains overlooking the sea-coast I only 

 managed to botanize the sea-face and the tops, as on the inland 

 side some of them are clothed from base to crown with dense 

 forest through which no tracks exist, as several of the highest 

 peaks have not yet been surveyed. This part of the work was 

 always to me the most interesting, as in the subalpine regions 

 not only was there the constant expectation of making some 

 fresh discovery, but there is a fascination, a bracing-up and 

 exhilaration in the higher altitudes unknown to the flats. When 

 exploring the Lyell Mountains T was accompanied by my friend 

 Mr. Boswell, of the Westport State School, who is an enthusiastic 

 naturalist and an accomplished artist, and we set up our camp 

 at an elevation of 3,000 ft., under the brow of Boundary Peak, 

 and from that base we worked our way for many miles along 

 the Brunner Range. At the end of ten days we broke camp, 

 and with the aid of a pack-horse transported our belongings 

 by way of Lyell Creek to a deserted roadman's tent under the 

 lee of Mount Lyell, which, although at a lower elevation than 

 our former camp, gave us ready access to the mountain. 



So much time is generally lost in travelling to and from the 

 foot of the mountains in these remote regions that that fact 

 accounts to a large extent for our .small knowledge of the upper 

 slopes and peaks, and it was at once evident to me that if I was 

 to do work of any value I must establish myself in the back 

 country, and this was accordingly done. I also spent a couple 

 of weeks in the neighbourhood of Murchison, and made an ascent 

 of Mount Owen from the BuUer side. Mount Murchison also 

 from the BuUer Valley, and Mount Mantell from the Matakitaki, 

 returning from each one of these expeditions laden with spoils. 



The Paparoas. which extend in a serried chain from the 

 south bank of the Buller River down almost to Greymouth, 

 stand guard over the coast-line in a series of rugged peaks, and 

 their outline, seen from the Brunner Range, reminded me of the 

 unevenly cut teeth of a Yankee cross-cut saw. Five of these 

 mountains I have scaled, two of them on several, occasions, and 

 on their spurs some rarities have been gathered. The highest 

 peak in the range, which was formerly included amongst the 

 Buckland Peaks, I had permission from the Surveyor- General 

 to give a distinctive name to, and I named it Mount Kelvin; 



