Teaveks. — On Organic Productions of New Zealand. 465 



is found in the mountains of the north-western parts of Otago, and its 

 restriction to this range is rernarkahle, seeing that Nestor meridionalis, with 

 which it is very closely allied, ranges over botli islands. I have already 

 alluded to the case of Cabalus modestus, found on one of the outliers 

 of the Chatham group, only two specimens of which have ever been 

 obtained. 



I now propose to call attention to some of the more remarkable instances 

 in the flora of New Zealand, which are calculated to illustrate the parallelism 

 in distribution of the organic productions of these islands and those 

 of the Galipagos Group, premising, however, that the flora of New Zealand 

 has large affinities with those of Australia and South America. In this 

 connection Dr. Hooker points out that — " Of the 303 New Zealand genera 

 of plants described in his Handbook of 1864, about 252 are common to it 

 and Australia, and 174 to it and South America ; and that of the 935 species 

 of flowering plants, 677 are peculiar to the Islands, 222 are Australian, and 

 111 American." The affinity between the flora of New Zealand and that of 

 Australia is singular enough, seeing the great gulf which lies between the 

 two districts ; but in view of the fact that the warm ocean current which 

 runs southward along the coasts of Australia and Tasmania, curls round 

 the southern part of New Zealand, and that Australian birds have frequently 

 been borne across the intervening sea during the strong north-west gales 

 which constantly blow upon the western coasts of these islands, it is far less 

 striking than the fact that so many South American forms are represented 

 in our flora. 



In the latter connection I may mention, incidentally, a very singular 

 matter. Amongst the insects of New Zealand is one called Peripatus, 

 which has been the subject of elaborate descriptions by Mr. Mosely (one 

 of the naturalists of the " Challenger " expedition), and by Captain Hutton, 

 and which is only found in New Zealand, in Chili, and at the Cape 

 of Good Hope. As this insect inhabits only decayed wood, its distri- 

 bution is most extraordinary, and can, apparently, be accounted for only 

 upon the supposition of a former land connection between the three 

 localities. 



The instances to which I am about to call your attention in connection 

 with the distribution of the flora of the main islands of New Zealand are 

 taken from the " Handbook " already referred to,- but are confined, as you 

 will observe, to the Phanerogams. I am, of course, aware that in some 

 respects these instances may no longer be strictly accurate in extent, but 

 there is nothing in recent additions to our knowledge to affect the general 

 principle which they illustrate. 

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