84 Transactions. | 
T. Kirk (23) has published a list of Hymenophyllaceae occurring 
on Stewart Island, with short notes as to their relative abundance and 
their distribution. The rainfall at Half-moon Bay settlement, on the 
east coast, averaged for the period 1918 to 1920 60-85in. per annum, 
and the number of rainy days 240-6. From the excessive number of 
rainy days it will readily be seen that the atmospheric humidity is for the 
most part high, a fact which Kirk points out is evident in the rapid 
change of vegetation into peat. The more elevated parts of the island, 
reaching an altitude of 5,200 ft., adjoin the west coast, and here the rainfall 
will be heavier. The forest-covering generally is heavy mixed -taxad 
rain forest, and is somewhat similar to that of Westland. Nothofagus 
меча may Бе more nearly compared with Westland as regards the filmy- 
rn flora than the forests of Banks Peninsula or of Dunedin. However, 
oft the more hygrophilous species T. Colensoi and H. scabrum are apparently 
nt; T. strictum, T. reniforme, and H. australe are rare and local; and 
H. dilatatum, though fairly abundant, occurs on fallen logs rather than as 
an epiphyte. Leptopteris hymenophylloides and L. superba attain a luxuriant 
growth in secluded situations, but are much less widely distributed than 
in Westland. It is evident, therefore, that, although the climate of Stewart 
Island is humid, the humidity is not so favourable to the filmy ferns as in 
the forests of Westland, a fact which 6 very possibly be due to the 
greater prevalence of winds in Stewart Island. 
The South Island North-western Botanic District presents favourable 
opportunities uH a comparison of the distribution of the Hymenophyllaceae 
in heavy taxad and in pure southern-beech forests respectively under 
similar ide оси. 
In the heavy ахаа forests at Greymouth there is a distribution of the 
Hymenophyllaceae similar to that in the lowland forests of north West- 
land. A mile or so up the Grey Valley, immediately behind Greymouth, 
there is an extensive stretch of more or less flat pure Nothofagus forest 
in which there is a fairly abundant though hinc restricted distribution 
of the Hymenophyllaceae. The rainfall here will be very little different 
from that at Greymouth, and the constantly high humidity near the 
ground in this southern-beech forest is attested by the fact that at low 
абста on the trees and on fallen logs I found an abundance of p 
and sporeling plants of most of the species that were present. 
mainly the == which in the pice Westland forest ате mid: and 
high epiphytes. H. multifidum, Н. sanguinolentum, and Н. Armstrongii 
clothe the main trunks of the trees up to a height of 20 ft. H. dilatatum, 
H. scabrum, and T. reniforme are all commonly present, as are H. flabel- 
latum, H. rarum, and H. Tunbridgense, but all these are restricted to fallen 
logs or tree- bases up to 6ft. above the ground. H. demissum is present 
ric the floor. The frequent presence of the upland H. pulcherrimum and 
T. Lyallii in a low epiphytic station is also an indication of the relatively 
high atmospheric humidity near the ground, but the specially hygrophilous 
H. australe, H. ferrugineum, and T. strictum are apparently absent. There 
are no mid-epiphytic ferns or other epiphytes other than the three species 
of Hymenophyllum first mentioned above. Pure southern- beech forest con- 
tains a very small admixture of large- Javed кеа or shrubby trees, and 
