336 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1949 
New Zealand already mentioned (p. 320). The many endemic species, 
often of very restricted range, as is characteristic of those of South 
Island, are largely denizens of open rocks and high, barren, stony 
fields called fell-fields. Here, as throughout the drier mountains of 
New Zealand, occur extensive ‘‘shingle-slips’” on dry mountainsides 
where weathering has broken the greywacke rock into deep layers 
of loose shingle. (See pl. 7, fig. 1.) On this formation grow certain 
distinctive shingle-slip plants, mostly isolated or in small colonies 
and specially adapted to these precarious life conditions. One of 
those most distinctive cushion growths known in New Zealand as 
vegetable sheep is characteristic of this Northeastern District, Haastia 
pulvinaris (Compositae). It also occurs in the adjacent districts to the 
west and northwest. Other vegetable sheep are mostly in another 
composite genus, Raoulia, a widespread and variable New Zealand 
group of about 22 species of a characteristic, extremely dense growth 
form, especially adapted to dry areas. 
The Western District is an area of dense temperate rain forest of 
taxads and associated dicotyledonous trees on the western side of the 
Southern Alps. There is no beech forest except high up on the moun- 
tains (this perhaps properly belonging to the eastern province), and 
at the northern and southern ends of the district. The rainfall on 
the coast and mountain slopes and the snowfall in the high mountains 
are excessive. The traveler here feels he is in a pioneer atmosphere 
where man has only begun to despoil nature, except perhaps toward 
the northern end. Agriculture is limited by the extent of the forests, 
the rainfall, and the narrow coastal strip. Sheep are replaced by 
cattle which thrive better under such humid conditions. The great 
attractions to botanists as well as others are the Franz Joseph and 
Fox Glaciers (pl. 7, fig. 2), which extend far down from the great 
snow fields above through deep gorges. Their tips are just under 
700 feet above sea level, far down among the forests. Here is the 
only place where one can photograph a glacier in a framework of 
tree ferns. There are a few endemics in this wet district. 
Over the divide on the opposite side of the Southern Alps is the 
Eastern District, almost the antithesis of the western. Here are 
extensive tussock grasslands instead of forests, and low instead of 
high rainfall, dry instead of almost saturated atmosphere, and well- 
developed agriculture, with wheatfields instead of stump-filled clear- 
ings recently cut from the “bush.’”’ The propserous city of Christ- 
church is the center from which to become acquainted with this area. 
The climate may be called semicontinental. ‘Temperatures range 
higher and lower than in most other parts of New Zealand except 
Otago Province, and the precipitation varies. There is much discus- 
sion as to the original extent of the grasslands (pl. 9, fig. 2) and the 
forests, but the latter, undoubtedly never very extensive, are now 
