DECEMBER. 21 



Chapter II. December. 



I. 



~V|"OW that the Clematis flowers have passed, the native 

 .1.1 bush has not a single conspicuous blossom left. 

 Beautiful as are the shades of green which characterise 

 the foliage, yet it is true that as compared with the 

 vivid colours of a woodland scene in the old country our 

 bush has a somewhat sombre aspect. The most sombre 

 hues are those of the Fuchsia and the large-leaved Panax 

 (sometimes erroneously called New Zealand gum tree), but 

 there is a wonderful diversity of colour and shade in the 

 banks and masses of foliage which meet the eye in a bit of 

 the native forest or scrub. There is nothing so restful to 

 the eye as the greenness of grass and of young foliage, and 

 though most of our native trees and bushes lack the vivid 

 verdure of a meadow in spring time, yet they have a quiet 

 beauty of tint of their own which is very charming. Look- 

 ing over a bit of greenery filling one of the dells which 

 cross this romantic Town Belt of Dunedin, I can see about 

 a dozen shades of colour, varying from the bright green of 

 the young broadleaf * and Muhlenbeckid (what a name for 

 a graceful clinging climbing plant !) to the olive and russet 

 greens and browns of the red mapaut and the pepper tree, J 

 and the dark hues of the Fuchsias, all blending harmoniously 

 into one another. Among the foliage there are flowers in 

 abundance, though mostly so small and so unassuming in 

 appearance as to escape notice. Still there are numerous 

 and interesting things to be seen among these unobtrusive 

 flowers. The common Fuchsia is a good example. Its 

 branches are just now often crowded with flowers, though 

 their season is nearly past. These are of a green or greenish- 

 purple colour, and in general form resemble many of the 

 kinds frequently grown in the garden or greenhouse, 



* Griselinia littoralis. f Myrsine Urvillei. + Driinys colorata. 



