150 STUDIES IN LIFE AND SENSE. 



striking likenesses to, and differences from, the New Zealand flora. 

 Sir Joseph Hooker, speaking of the relations between the plant-life 

 of the two regions, says : " Under whatever aspect I regard the flora 

 of Australia and of New Zealand, I find all attempts to theorise on 

 the possible causes of their community of feature frustrated by anoma- 

 lies in distribution, such as I believe no two other similarly situated 

 countries in the globe present. Everywhere else I recognise a parallel- 

 ism or harmony in the main common features of contiguous floras, 

 which conveys the impression of their generic affinity at least being 

 affected by migration from centres of dispersion in one of them, or 

 in some adjacent country. In this case it is widely different. Re- 

 garding the question from the Australian point of view, it is impos- 

 sible, in the present state of science, to reconcile the fact of Acacia, 

 Eucalyptus, Casuarina, Callitris, &c., being absent in New Zealand, 

 with any theory of trans-oceanic migration that may be adopted to 

 explain the presence of other Australian plants in New Zealand ; 

 and it is very difficult to conceive of a time or of conditions that 

 could explain these anomalies, except by going back to epochs 

 when the prevalent botanical as well as geographical features of 

 each were widely different from what they are now. On the other 

 hand, if I regard the question from the New Zealand point of view, 

 I find such broad features of resemblance, and so many connecting 

 links that afford irresistible evidence of a close botanical connection, 

 that I cannot abandon the conviction that these great differences- 

 will present the least difficulties to whatever theory may explain the 

 whole case." Thus, whilst there are clear botanical affinities be- 

 tween Australia and New Zealand, these likenesses are really limited 

 to plants which form the characteristic part of the New Zealand 



flora ; and these plants, for the 

 most part, belong to temperate 

 species. 



If the relations between New 

 Zealand and Australia in the 

 matter of their respective floras 

 are so intricate, the relations be- 

 tween the animal populations of 

 these areas are equally interest- 

 ing. We may briefly glance, in 

 the first place, at the New Zea- 

 land fauna, and then, by way of 

 contrast, concern ourselves more 



especially with the animal life of Australia. The New Zealand islands, 

 in superficial area, attain a size nearly equal to that of Italy. Their 

 distance from Australia is about 1,200 miles; their vegetation is 

 abundant and well distributed, owing to the absence of desert-lands. 



