Travers.—Comparison of the Flora of Nelson and Canterbury. 175 
In the remarks I am about to offer I propose to treat the united 
Provinces of Nelson and Marlborough as the “Nelson district,” and the 
Province of Canterbury as the * Canterbury district ;” and in order to make 
my remarks intelligible, I must briefly sketch the physical features of each 
district 
Upon dividing the Nelson district longitudinally, we find the western 
half covered with dense forest, whilst the eastern may be considered as 
almost exclusively a grass country; but the whole district is composed of 
mountain spurs radiating from the Spencer mountains, with small interven- 
ing valleys, the ranges on each side of the dividing line presenting a 
considerable uniformity in altitude. 
The western part of the Canterbury district is also composed of moun- 
tain chains continuous with the Spencer mountains, the eastern slopes of 
which are almost entirely grassed, whilst the western slopes, like those of the 
. Nelson district, are also covered with dense forest. But at the foot of the 
Canterbury mountains, on the east side, and at a short distance south of the 
boundary between the two districts, we find extensive plains, apparently 
level, bounded by the sea shore, and haying an average breadth of about 
thirty miles. These plains extend from north to south about one hundred 
and fifty miles, and are succeeded by low undulating downs and occasional 
flats until we reach the Waitaki River, at the southern extremity of the 
district. At the northern end of the plains we also find low downs, stretch- 
ing from the Kowhai River (where the plains properly commence) to the 
Hurunui, after crossing which and entering the Nelson district we almost 
immediately come upon mountain ranges of considerable altitude. 
In drawing this short description of the two districts I must not omit to 
notice Banks Peninsula, which, as you are aware, is composed almost exclu- 
sively of volcanic rocks, contains about 260,000 acres of land, all mountains 
and hills, much broken in character, in some parts attaining an elevation 
of 4,000 feet, and nearly equally divided into forest and pasture land. 
As you are also aware, the plains above referred to are intersected by 
great rivers flowing from the mountain ranges, and it has been ascertained, 
as the result of carefully-taken levels, that these rivers fall at rates varying 
from twenty-eight to thirty-five feet per mile, between the foot of the moun- 
tain ranges and the sea. These plains, therefore, although apparently level, 
are actually as a rule 1,000 feet above sea level at the base of the 
mountain range, falling away very gradually from that altitude to the level 
of the sea. 
lt will be evident to you, then, that although the two districts under 
consideration present certain marked distinetions, as well as resemblances, in 
physical character, and might, if separated by an effectual barrier to free 
