INTRODUCTION 5 



been necessary, for a vast deal of the information communicated 

 to me in all good faith was manifestly unreliable and had to be received 

 with caution. I have endeavoured to secure scientific accuracy, so 

 that the record may be of use to succeeding naturalists ; at the same 

 time I trust it may not be of the dry-as-dust type. The work has 

 been a labour of love, and will, I hope, be found of use and interest 

 to many who do not profess to be naturalists, but who are interested 

 in natural phenomena. 



An important aspect of the question is the legal one. A study of 

 all the legislation which has been passed, first by the various pro- 

 vincial legislatures, and later by the Government and Parliament of 

 New Zealand is extremely interesting from many points of view, and 

 I have added this at the end of this work. 



