26 A NEW ZEALAND NATURALIST'S CALENDAR. 



under surface of a Fuchsia leaf. What an amount of 

 water a large tree of this species must evaporate in a 

 dry summer day ! 



In this southern end of New Zealand, and on the 

 mountain slopes, the native Fuchsias are deciduous. Were 

 it otherwise they would be stripped of leaves and branches 

 during winter, for the latter are brittle and easily broken, 

 and are also frequently spread out at rather low angles, 

 while the abundant leafage would cause them to catch and 

 retain snow readily. Then, as a rule, the snow in this 

 temperate region is large-flaked, soft, and not much removed 

 from the melting point. It is therefore particularly liable 

 to cling to foliage, and is thus far more destructive than 

 crisp dry small-crystalled snow would be. The Fuchsia 

 shares the deciduous habit with only a few other New 

 Zealand trees and shrubs, such as the mountain ribbon- 

 wood* and, to a partial extent, the mako-mako.t The 

 absence of deciduous-leaved trees in these islands is an 

 argument against any recent glacial epoch in these 

 southern regions. 



II. 



The magnificent floral display of the broom and the 

 gorse during the last month, the great promise of flowers 

 on the elderberry, and the exuberant luxuriance of cocks- 

 foot and other introduced grasses in the recent moist mild 

 weather, show what a remarkable hold these immigrants 

 have taken of their new home. I was on the lookout for 

 Tutu the other morning, and noticed how scarce it is 

 becoming in localities where only a few years ago it was 

 one of the most abundant of the native shrubs. Some 

 native plants are more than holding their own in the 

 Town Belt, such as the fuchsia, wild bramble or lawyer, 

 and the common climber Muhlenbeckia-. This is in part 

 due to the fact that they have succulent fruits which are 

 eaten by blackbirds and thrushes, and so have their seeds 

 distributed in the same way as happens with the elder- 



* Gaya (Plagianthus] Lyalli. \Aristotelia racemosa. 



