298 THE KAURI-TREE. [PART II. 



struction of the forests many trees and shrubs dis- 

 appear, especially those which required the full 

 aliment and moisture afforded by the forest : for 

 instance, the arborescent and several other species 

 of ferns, which are only found in conjunction with 

 the kauri. 



The kauri is the only cone-bearing pine in New 

 Zealand ; all the others bear berries, and are there- 

 fore to be classed amongst the very numerous family 

 of the Podocarpi or Taxideee. 



I cannot omit to mention a fact connected with 

 the kauri which seems to throw some light on the 

 formation of amber. The resin which the tree ex- 

 udates is very hard, and forms large solid masses at 

 the base of the tree. It is generally of a whitish 

 colour, but through age, and as it would seem by 

 exposure to the sea- water, it assumes the gold-yellow 

 colour of amber, becomes transparent, and very 

 closely resembles that substance. It appears to me 

 not improbable that amber is derived from a tree of 

 the same genus as the Dammara australis, as no 

 other resin that I am aware of is so hard, or is acted 

 upon in this remarkable manner by the sea-water. 





