Ecological Botany.] SUBANTARCTIC ISLANDS OF NEW ZEALAND. 185 



Dr. L. Diels's memoir on the ecology of New Zealand flowering-plants as a whole 

 appeared in 1896,* and here for the first time the species are dealt with on modern 

 ecological lines, special attention being paid to their leaf -anatomy. 



In June, 1903, I visited all the islands, excepting the Snares and Macquarie, 

 publishing a paperf in which an attempt is made to classify the vegetation, describe 

 its winter aspect, and deal with the species ecologically rather than floristically. 



Miss E. M. Herriott, in 1906, using as material a number of living plants growing 

 In the experimental garden of Canterbury College, describes their leaf-anatomy, and 

 seeks to show its relation to the natural environment of the plants, transverse sec- 

 tions of the leaves being figured in each case. J 



Finally, a short popular account of some of the botanical work of the present 

 expedition appeared in the Kew Bulletin,§ compiled from a letter of Captain A. 

 Dorrien-Smith, and from articles written by myself for various New Zealand news- 

 papers.]] 



Certain explorations of recent years, partly in connection with the Antarctic 

 Expeditions, have thrown a flood of light upon the ecology of other subantarctic 

 lands. AlbolT,^ Dusen,** and Skottsbergff have respectively published many im- 

 portant facts regarding Fuegian vegetation, and the latter most enthusiastic explorer 

 has also investigated South Georgia. J J Recently the plant formations of the 

 Falklands have been described by S. ]Birger.§§ Finally, in a most comprehensive 

 work, illustrated with admirable photographs and many figures, Dr. H. Schenck 

 has brought up to date the present knowledge of the whole subantarctic botanical 

 dominion,]]]] publishing at the same time many of the facts observed and con- 

 clusions arrived at by the late Professor Schimper as botanist to the German 

 Deep-sea Expedition. 



2. Leading Physiognomic Plants. 



The leading plants of any region have by no means an equal physiognomic 

 value ; some few will probably dominate the landscape as a whole, while others 

 may be confined to a special station — in other words, the first is primarily a climatic 



* " Vegetations-Biologie von Neu-Seeland " ; Engl. Bot. Jahr., bd. xxii ; 1896. 



t Trans. N.Z. Inst., vol. xxxvi, p. 225 ; 1904. 



I Trans. N.Z. Inst., vol. x.xxviii, p. 377 ; 1905. 



§ Kew Bull., No. 6, p. 237 ; 1908. 



|] Lyttelton Times, Nov. 6th, Dec. 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 1907. 



^ " Flore raisonnee de la Terre de Feu " ; Ann. de Museo de la Plata ; 1902. 



** " Die Gefasspflanzen der Magellanslander " ; Wiss. Ergebn. der Schwed. Exp., bd. iii, 1900 : 

 and " Die Pflanzenvereine der Magellanslander " ; ibid, 1903. 



ft " Feuerlandische Bliiten " ; Wiss. Ergebn. d. Schwed. Siidp. Exped., bd. iv, lief. 2, 1905 : and 

 " Some Remarks upon the Geographical Distribution of Vegetation in the Colder Southern Hemisphere " : 

 Ymer, p. 402, 1905: also " Zur Flora des Feuerlandes " ; Wiss. Ergebn. d. Schwed. Siidp. Exped., 

 bd. iv, lief. 4, 1906. 



Jt " The Geographical Distribution of Vegetation in South Georgia" ; Geog. Journ., Nov.. 1902. 



§§ " Die Vegetation bei Port Stanley auf den Falklandinseln " ; Engl. Bot. Jahrb., bd. 39, heft 2, 

 p. 275 ; 1906. 



]] II " Vergleichende Darstellung der Pflanzengeographie der subantartischen Inseln insbesondere 

 uber Flora und Vegetation von Kerguelen" ; Wiss. Ergebn. der deut. Tiefsee Exped., bd. ii; 1905. 



