living ? Proof of this supposition may not be obtainable at the present time ; 

 but, on the other hand, there are many indications to support it. 



Kauri-resin is of very great importance in the manufacture of the finest kind 

 of oil varnishes. For that purpose it holds the chief place in the market, and 

 commands a high price. Its export from New Zealand dates back as far as 1847, 

 but for many years the amount shipped was but small, and the price excessively 

 low. Since 1880 the amount exported has ranged from 6,000 to 11,000 tons per 

 annum, the average price being estimated by the Government Statistician at about 

 £50 per ton. The export for 1910 (the latest year available) was 8,693 tons, the 

 declared value being £465,044. At the present time it is estimated that over six 

 thousand people are employed in the digging of kauri-gum. 



The genus Agathis, of which the kauri is the most important member, contains 

 about eight well-defined species, ranging from the Philippine Islands and Borneo 

 southwards to Australia, western Polynesia, and New Zealand. Its present focus 

 of distribution is evidently Polynesian, for we find two or possibly three endemic 

 species in New Caledonia, one in the New Hebrides, one in the Santa Cruz Group, 

 and one in the Fiji Islands. It is somewhat curious that no species has yet been 

 recorded from New Guinea or the Solomon Islands, but future explorations may 

 remove this apparent anomaly. In any case Agathis must be regarded as an 

 important constituent of the Malayan and Polynesian section of the New Zealand 

 flora. 



Plate 184. Agathis australis, drawn from specimens supplied by Mr. H. Carse, of Fairburn, 

 Mongonui ; the cone forwarded by Mr. J. W. Hall, Thames. Figs. 1 and 2, front and back view of 

 anthers ( x 5) ; 3 and 4, young cone-scale ( x 5) ; 5, cone-scale, with young seed ( x 3) ; 6 and 7, seeds 

 ( X 3) ; 8. seed ( x 3) ; 9, section of same ( x 3) ; 10, embryo ( x 3). 



