T. Kirk.— On the Flowering Plants of Stewart Island. 221 



a small rush was obtained closely allied to Juncus antarcticus of 

 Campbell Island, if not identical with that species, also an undescribed 

 species of Uncinia and a Carex new to science. Before reaching the crest 

 we encountered a dense snowstorm, which later on was varied by fierce 

 blasts of sleet and hail, so that hands and face were stung almost past 

 endurance, and the use of note-book and pencil became impossible for the 

 rest of the day. 



The scene on reaching the crest was quite unexpected ; right in front 

 towered the highest peak, half-obscured by the driving snow, steep and 

 precipitous, but between the crest on which we stood and the beetling 

 cliffs was a crateriform hollow apparently 300 feet in depth, the bottom 

 of which was occupied by a lake. The ridge from which we looked down 

 to the lake sloped gradually to the water's edge, causing the hollow 

 to present the appearance of a cup-shaped crater. I was unable to detect 

 the outlet of the lake, but one of the party caught a view of it as the falling 

 snow was momentarily swept on one side by a fiercer blast than usual. On 

 its inner face the slope was sparingly clothed with scrub apparently 

 of the same character as that amongst which we had been struggling* 

 but time pressed too hardly to allow of its examination. On the crest 

 itself stunted Olearia and Dacrydium were the commonest plants, but 

 in some places a strange sight was presented : Dracophyllum muscoides 

 formed a compact dark-green sward, thickly gemmed with white flowers, 

 occasionally rising into pillar-like hummocks two feet high, and so 

 extremely dense that it was a matter of great difficulty to thrust a knife 

 into the woody mass ; at a somewhat lower elevation short straggling 

 branches were given off at the margins of patches, forming a kind of loose 

 fringe. The line of ascent lay along the eastern side of the hollow, the 

 mountain rising into a high peak not greatly inferior to the highest or 

 northern peak. The ascent to the eastern peak was impeded by numerous 

 patches of dense scrub of no great height but of extremely rigid habit ; on 

 the open spots several interesting plants were collected, amongst which may 

 be mentioned a new Aciphylla of flaccid densely-tufted habit, which I have 

 described as A. traillii, occasional specimens of Banunculus lyallii, a pros- 

 trate form of Coprosma colensoi (identified in the absence of flowers), patches 

 of 0. pumila, a silvery Celmisia, destitute of flowers but apparently allied to 

 C. sessiliflora, Schamus pauciflorus, Danthonia florescens, and two undescribed 

 species of the same genus. In rock crevices Hymenophyllum villosum, was 

 plentiful, and the curious fern usually referred to Polypodium australe, v. 

 alpinum ; but the most interesting plant was unquestionably Ourisia sessili- 

 flora, its large handsome flowers were white as the snow by which it was 

 partially hidden, 



