HISTORICAL RECORD 13 



but voyagers left the shores of New Zealand for Polynesia as late 

 as ten generations or 250 years ago, and presumably others arrived 

 from time to time. 



With the arrival of Captain James Cook in New Zealand we can 

 begin to assign definite dates to many of the introductions. 



In October, 1769, Captain Cook landed at Poverty Bay, and later 

 at Anaura Bay, and at both places Messrs Banks and Solander made 

 collections of native plants. He next stayed a week at Tolaga Bay, 

 and ii days at Mercury Bay. On 2ist November a landing was 

 made some miles up the Thames River, and then six days were spent 

 at the Bay of Islands. On i6th January, 1770, he anchored in Queen 

 Charlotte Sound, and made a stay of three weeks. Again on 27th 

 March he was four days in Admiralty Bay to the west of Queen 

 Charlotte Sound. There is no word in all these landings of his intro- 

 ducing any animals or any seeds, yet it is more than probable that 

 Black Rats (Mus rattus), the common ship's rat, were on board the 

 ' Endeavour,' and that some got ashore. It is also possible that some 

 European seeds may have been accidentally introduced. The voyage 

 was one for exploration only, as far as New Zealand was concerned, 

 and the ships were quite differently equipped on later visits. 



In December, 1769, only two months after Cook's arrival, De 

 Surville spent three weeks in the ' Saint Jean Baptiste ' in Mongonui 

 Harbour. 



In 1772 the French expedition under Marion du Fresne which 

 had such a fatal ending as far as New Zealand was concerned, spent 

 over two months in the Bay of Islands ; and it is stated by both Taylor 

 and Polack, I do not know on what authority, that Crow Garlic 

 (Allium vineale), which is so abundant in that district, was introduced 

 by him. No collections of plants were made during either of these 

 French expeditions, but it is quite possible that some animals or 

 plants found their way into the country. 



Crozet, who took up the command of the expedition on Captain 

 Marion's death, writes (in 1772): 



I formed a garden on Moutouaro Island, in which I sowed the seed of all 

 sorts of vegetables, stones and the pips of our fruits, wheat, millet, maize, 

 and in fact every variety of grain which I had brought from the Cape of 

 Good Hope ; everything succeeded admirably, several of the grains sprouted 

 and appeared above ground, and the wheat especially grew with surprising 

 vigour. The garden on Moutouaro Island alone was not sufficient to satisfy 

 my desires. I planted stones and pips wherever I went, in the plains, 

 in the glens, on the slopes, and even on the mountains; I also sowed 

 everywhere a few of the different varieties of grain, and most of the 

 officers did the same. 



Captain Cook in his second voyage in the 'Resolution/ spent 



