T. Krnx.—Ón the Ferns of Stewart Island. 238 
Lycopodium selago, L. Port Pegasus, Mr. Petrie ! 
. varium, Br. 
. ramulosum, T. Kirk. On open peaty land and in swampy woods, Stems 
excessively branched and prostrate, densely matted. Head of Pater- 
son’s Inlet. 
. clavatum, var. magellanicum. Common; ascends to 3,000 feet. 
. scariosum, Br. Low sand ranges and terraces between Paterson’s Inlet 
and Mason Bay. Island of Ulva. 
L. volubile, Swartz. In forests; not uncommon. 
Tmesipteris tannensis, Sw. On rocks and trees, frequent. 
Azolla rubra, Br. Ruapuke Island. A. W. Traill! 
It is not easy to account for the apparent absence of several species, 
such as Dicksonia antarctica, Hymenophyllum scabrum, Aspidium richardii, 
Nephrodium glabellum, Polypodium pennigerum, and especially Asplenium 
hookerianum, and A. colensoi. In all probability several of these will be 
discovered before long. 
This paper may be fittingly concluded with brief descriptions of two 
natural ** ferneries " on Stewart Island. 
The first is a narrow gully, or deep ravine, in the forest on the island 
of Ulva. At the head of the ravine is a small cascade, which gives rise to 
the stream flowing through the gully. The whole is shut in by large trees 
so that direct sunlight is excluded, and the sides of the gully, at first steep, 
are gently rounded-off in the upper portions. The conditions are eminently 
favourable for luxuriant fern-growth. 
At first the visitor’s attention is arrested by large masses of tree-ferns, 
Dicksonia squarrosa, the stems of which are partly shrouded by the persis- 
tent dead fronds. These are most abundant in the flat ground at the lower 
part of the gully, and as they ascend the banks become reduced to solitary 
specimens, here and there intermixed with the more graceful Hemitelia, 
which becomes more abundant in the upper parts of the gully and attains 
large dimensions. 
Interspersed amongst the scattered tree-ferns are gigantic specimens of 
Lomaria capensis which considerably overtop the visitor as he passes beneath 
them; as they ascend the banks they gradually diminish in height until 
they pass into the var. minor. Lomaria patersoni is plentiful and luxuriant | 
near the head of the gully. The spaces between the larger ferns are 
occupied with a dense growth of Lomaria lanceolata—Pteris scaberula in the 
drier places. Hypolepis tenuifolia, Lomaria discolor, L. vulcanica, and other 
common species forming a series of contrasts in colour and habit. 
The trunks of the tree-ferns are clothed with Hymenophyllum aruginosum 
in the most luxuriant condition, while H. flabellatum, H. tunbridgense, and 
Trichomanes venosum occupy similar habitats, and the translucent H, 
‘ley 
