226 Notices of Memoirs— 
The greater part of the islands, therefore, is owned by European 
run-holders and stocked with sheep and a few cattle.” 
After describing the flora of the Islands, and the wealth of Ocean 
birds which make their residence here, or come to these shores in 
the breeding-season, Mr. Forbes tells us— 
“The whole surface of the islands, especially Wharekauri and 
Rangiauria, is covered with a bed of peat in places over 40 feet in 
depth—deeper in the northern arm than in the southern—traversable 
in safety only by those acquainted with the country; for to the 
inexperienced eye there seems in most places no difference in the 
surface which can carry with safety both horse and rider, and that 
on which the lightest-footed pedestrian could not venture without 
being engulfed. The surface of some of the larger and wetter 
depressions in the ground was covered with a brilliant-coloured 
carpet of luxuriant mosses, emitting an aromatic fragrance, spread 
out in artless undesigned parterres of rich commingled green, yellow, 
and purple, and endless shades of these, warning the traveller of the 
existence of dangerous bogs beneath, and brightening miles of tree- 
less moorland, which, but for these floating gardens, would be 
uninviting and uninteresting. In many places all over the island 
this great peat moss is on fire, and has for years been smouldering 
underground, or burning in the exposed faces of the great pits 
which have now been burnt out. Dr. Dieffenbach mentions their 
existence at his visit in 1840, and states that the combustion had 
begun before 1834, and ‘may indeed be traced to a much earlier 
period, and, in consequence, the soil in the neighbourhood is 
gradually sinking.’ These fires, as far as I could gather, had 
been burning in one part or another of the island ever since Dieffen- 
bach’s visit. Whether the soil has been lit accidentally or on 
purpose, or has spontaneously taken fire through the decomposition 
of the peat and lignite, 1 could not ascertain. A peculiarity in 
the main island that strikes the visitor very early is the occurrence 
of many lakes and tarns. These lakes are, for the most part, on 
the eastern side, at the back of the low hills facing Petre Bay. 
The largest is 15 miles long, over 40 miles in circumference, and 
about 104 miles at its widest part; and, therefore, occupies a large 
portion of the entire area of the island. Some of these tarns occur 
even on the highest part of the southern highlands.” 
Mr. Forbes’s main object in visiting Chatham Islands was to 
discover the remains of a bird, some bones of which had been 
sent to New Zealand, and which opened up problems of geographical 
distribution of the highest interest. He writes :— 
«Within a few days of my arrival, I had the satisfaction of 
disentombing from their ancient burial ground in the sand-hills 
of the Waitangi beach, the complete head and the greater part of 
the skeleton, certainly all important bones, of the bird to which 
the head belonged. Associated with them were also those of a tall, 
extinct coot, and a large raven of an ancient type. I was thus 
able to confirm my doubtful identification of the bones, that the 
bird which in ancient days had lived in the Chatham Islands, 
