NEW ZEALAND-——EGBERT H. WALKER 337 
much less so. Remnants occur in the Canterbury Plain of the swamp 
forest or kahikatea, composed of Podocarpus dacrydioides (see p. 328). 
In the high mountains are fell-fields, amazing shingle-slips, and other 
alpine formations, each with characteristic plants. Mount Torlesse, 
with its vegetable sheep (Raoulia eximia and R. mammillaria) (pl. 10, 
fig. 1), and other characteristic alpine plants, is a well-known mountain 
rather easily reached from Christchurch. The Banks Peninsula, 
with mountains of volcanic origin which can wrest moisture from the 
eastern winds, constitutes a subprovince. It, too, has certain endemic 
plants and formerly had dicotylous-taxad forests, now largely gone 
to make way for prosperous dairy farming. 
Reference has already been made (p. 320) to the desert conditions 
in Central Otago, which is the outstanding characteristic of the North 
Otago District. This is the hottest and driest, as well as the coldest, 
part of New Zealand. It owes this distinction to the protection from 
the rain-laden westerly winds and the failure of the southwest winds, 
which bathe the area to the south, to reach this district. Its desert 
conditions have been aggravated by overgrazing (pl. 8), burning, and 
the nibbling of an amazingly dense rabbit population. Irrigation in 
river valleys makes possible the growing of certain fruits and alfalfa. 
There are a few endemic plants, mostly xerophytes, some of them 
grazed almost to extinction. The weed population is perhaps more 
conspicuous than elsewhere in New Zealand. Forests are practically 
absent. 
The least-interfered-with and the botanically least-known part of 
New Zealand is the Fiord District, an area of difficult access because 
of the meagerness of means of transportation and of population. Its 
boundaries are rather vague, especially the separation from the South 
Otago District. Forests of taxads and of southern-beech stretch from 
seacoast to timber line. Almost the only open land is the tussock 
grassland in the alpine zone between the tree and the snow lines. The 
distinctive or near-endemic plants are largely low ground plants or 
shrubs, most of which occur also in the districts toward the east. 
Here was recently found, in an isolated valley, the supposedly extinct 
flightless bird, the takahe (Notornis mantellz), one of the group of rails. 
Within 3 weeks of this discovery a large area was declared by the New 
Zealand Government to be a reserve where only those with special 
permits could go. Such rapid action bodes well for future conserva- 
tion. One wonders what rare plants may also some day be found in 
this district of superb wild scenery. Those who have been in this 
district so far have found it of rather more zoological than botanical 
interest. 
In the South Otago District, which includes southern Otago and 
most of Southland Provinces, the moisture comes largely from the 
wet southwest winds, which leave snow on the high mountains in the 
