188 T'ransactions.— Zoology. 
My Researches during Six Months’ stay in Dusky Sound, commencing on the 
10th of April, 1884. 
The scenery is beautiful owing to its variety. The sound is about 
23 miles long by 2 miles wide. There are several coves which give good 
shelter to small vessels and boats, also a few easy landings. There are a 
number of large and small islands, such as the Sentinel and Resolution, 
which are parted by the Acheron Passage from the mainland, then Long and 
Cooper’s Island, which divide the main channel and the Nine-fathom 
Passage; there is also a small island in Super Cove not marked on the chart. 
On the tops of most of these islands there are to be found small lakes and 
lagoons, but the bush is very dense and the country broken. The mainland 
ascends from the water in terraces, interrupted by many cliffs and pre- 
cipices. Near the water is heavy bush, but higher up the vegetation is 
smaller and denser, and on some places nearer the Alps, it is so thick that 
I had actually to walk on the top of the scrub, or cut my way through it. 
The scrub consists mostly of silver pine and hakehake, and there is an 
extent of grass country well watered, with plenty of rich vegetation. I 
think it could be used as a sheep-run if the lower land and terraces were 
cleared to get food and shelter in the severe winter, when the Alps are 
snowed over. At present they are inhabited by thousands of the wander ' 
rats (Mus decumanus), which were a plague to me, and very destructive to 
the birds. Beyond that are the rugged mountains, where the schist has 
disappeared and left the colossus of granite behind, some of which are 
covered with snow. There are many fresh-water streams in the valleys, 
and, on top of the mountains, lakes and lagoons similar to other New 
Zealand Alps. Strange to say, on some of them I could only find an out- 
flow, but no inflow. When searching for life, I could find nothing but a 
few insects. The water is clear and cold. The formation is chiefly granite 
schist and mica schist, and I have never before noticed such a variety of 
accessories together in any part of this or the surrounding islands of New 
Zealand, as in Dusky Sound. Mr. Docherty informed me, and I have 
myself seen, ruby and peacock ore, yellow sulphide, molibdenite, iron 
pyrites, amphibole, tremolite, tourmaline, moscovite, chlorite, sphene, 
titanium, rutile, garnet, orthoclase, asbestos, wolfram, with black and green 
mica, varieties of quartz and spars and marble. é 
A better field could not be found for students in practical geology than 
this. The most of these accessories are found on the top of the Alps 
where Mr. Docherty has found the seven lodes ; they are between two 
granite dykes, bounded on the west by Mount Huge; from north-east 
to south-west the granite cut through his lodes; to the east is a chasm 
which separates Mount Bender from these formations. Four lodes bearing 
