W. Travers.—On the Origin in N.Z. of Polygonum aviculare, L. 311 
volume, in which I assumed both the typical form of Polygonum aviculare and 
the variety dryandri to be of exotic origin. Notwithstanding Mr. Kirk’s 
arguments I still disagree with the conclusions he has arrived at, and chiefly 
for the following reasons. 
On looking into the history of botanical research in New Zealand we find 
that these plants are not mentioned by any collector before Raoul, who 
obtained the typical form at Akaroa and the Bay of Islands about 1840, 
whilst Lyall obtained the variety at Port Cooper some eight or ten years later. 
Now it would be somewhat singular that, if these plants really belonged to 
the indigenous flora, they should have been overlooked by Banks and 
Solander in 1769, by the Forsters and Dr. Sparrman in 1772, by Alexander 
in 1777, and by Menzies in 1791. I admit, however, that Alexander, whose 
collections were very limited, and Menzies, who directed himself almost 
exclusively to the Cryptogamia, might have overlooked these plants, though 
the fact would still remain a singular one. But with Banks and Solander and 
the Forsters and Dr. Sparrman the omission would be strange indeed, for each 
of these botanists enjoyed abundant opportunities of collecting in localities in 
which the typical form at all events could scarcely have failed to be found if 
it then existed in the country. It is still more remarkable too that neither 
plant is mentioned by D’Urville, who collected in 1822, by Frazer in 1825, 
by Allan Cunningham in 1826, nor by Lesson in 1827 ; but whilst their 
silence may be accounted for in a manner which will be mentioned in the 
sequel, the same reasons are in no degree applicable to the case of the earlier 
botanists. : 
It appears to me that Mr. Kirk has quite overlooked the great length of 
time which has elapsed since various European seeds, of classes likely to 
include, at all events, as accidental company those of Polygonum aviculare, 
have been introduced into New Zealand. In the first place there was, 
between 1793 and 1840, a constant intercourse on all parts of the east coast’ 
of the two main islands between the crews of whale and other ships from the 
colonies of New South Wales and Van Diemen’s Land and the natives, 
during which time the seeds of a large variety of European herbaceous plants 
were introduced. As a notable instance we know that the seed of the 
English dock was sold to natives in various parts of the islands as the seed of 
the tobacco plant. 
But outside of this, as possibly accounting for the presence of the plant in 
question, I call Mr. Kirk’s attention specially to the fact that both in 1810 
and in 1814 large quantities of European seeds were introduced into the Bay 
of Islands, and into various parts of the North Island lying between that 
district and Poverty Bay, by the missionary band of which the Rev. Mr. 
Marsden was the head. In the latter year particularly the brig “ Active,” 
