xviii SUBANTARCTIC ISLANDS OF NEW ZEALAND. [Historical. 



westerly winds, and is more wind-swept even than the AucMand Islands, while, 

 like that gronp, it suffers from the same lack of sunshine and from frequent mists 

 and gales of rain. Though the temperature is uniformly low, the island does not 

 appear to experience very severe frosts or very heavy falls of snow. 



The Antipodes Islands lie 490 miles east-south-east from the South Cape of 

 Stewart Island, and consist of one island larger than the others, named Antipodes 

 Island, and several much smaller islands or rocks, the chief of which is BoUons Island. 

 Antipodes Island is about four miles from east to west, and about two miles from 

 north to south, and its highest point, Mount Galloway, rises to a height of about 

 1,300 ft. The coast-line is rocky and precipitous, and above the cliffs stretch steep 

 slopes densely covered with tussock, while the shallow gullies are filled with Coprnsma 

 scrub and Aspidium vestitum. 



The Bounty Islands lie 490 miles east of the South Cape of Stewart Island, 

 and consist of about twenty islands and rocks of varying sizes, ranging up to 

 nearly 300 ft. in height, and occupying a space about three miles east and west and 

 two miles north and south. Landing on the main island is a matter of difficulty, 

 and the slippery rocks bear on their surface no soil and no land-plants at all, except 

 an Alga, which gives them a greenish hue in places. Very few terrestrial animals 

 have been recorded from the island — viz., one or two spiders, a few insects, and 

 a shore hopper. 



Macquarie Island lies about six hundred miles to the south-west of New Zea- 

 land — more than twice as far away as the Auckland Island group. It consists of 

 one island about twenty miles long and five miles broad, and of two outlying groups 

 of rocks — one, known as the " Bishop and Clerk," lying thirty miles to the south of 

 the south end ; the other, the " Judge and Clerk," being situated seven miles to the 

 north of the north head. Though the island is exceedingly hilly, the hills are 

 not more than 600 ft. or 700 ft. in height. As a rule, they rise almost directly 

 from the sea, leaving only a narrow shingly beach, though there is a greater 

 extent of flat land towards the north end of the west coast. There are swamps 

 above the shingle, and on the uplands are a number of small lakes, which empty 

 themselves by streams running down to the sea in valleys that they have made 

 or by falling over the steep hillsides in miniature cascades. The general appearance 

 of the island is described as being barren in the extreme. There is not a tree or 

 shrub on the island, though there are patches of Stilhocarpa polaris, Pleurophyllum, 

 and other plants known on the Auckland and Campbell Islands. Various species of 

 penguins form rookeries on the island, and the huge sea-elephants are still to be 

 found there, though they have been almost exterminated for the sake of their 

 blubber. Dr. Scott, who visited the island in 1880, states that it is never entirely 

 deserted by the; sea-elephants, but by far the greatest niimlier are to be found after 

 October, when they come up to calve. 



To the south-east of Macquarie Island there has long been shown on the nuip 

 a small island called Emerald Island. It apj^ears that in December, 1821, the ship 

 " Emerald," one of those trading to Macquarie Island, saw an island, very high, 

 with peaked mountains, in lat. 57° 30' S. and long. 162° 12' E. Mr. Chapman 

 (1891, p. 520)* in his article gives at second hand the evidence of a sea-captain 

 who stated " that he had seen the island, and had been round it, but could see no 



* The refereuces are to the General Bibliography at the end of Vol. II. 



