The Soils of the New Zealand botanical region. 31 
island is an undulating plateau, Mt. Galloway the highest point, reaching 
530m. The coast consists of high perpendicular clifis. The rocks, so far as 
known, are basalts. 
7. The Bounty Islands. 
“ These are a small group of rocky islets and rocks formed of a pale biotite 
granite. The largest island is ı km long by 0.8 km wide and 88 m high. The 
surface is without a true soil and is polished smooth as glass by the millions 
of penguins and other birds, also by numerous fur seals. (Quantities of guano 
accumuülate during the breeding season of the birds, but the EI part is 
removed by the rains of winter. 
4. The Soils of the New Zealand botanical region. 
Regarding the soils of New Zealand little accurate information is available. 
Such knowledge as exists is derived from a few analyses by AsTon, rapid field- 
observations and the experience of agriculture and horticulture. Here then 
merely general and guarded statements are made. Certain special details are, 
given when dealing with the formations. 
The most widely spread soils are: — Loess, pumice, clays of various kinds, 
marls, sand and stony debris. Common, but of more local distribution are: 
— Alluvial loams, peat including raw humus, soils from basic volcanic rock, salt- 
soils and rock. The following are quite jobai — Sulphur &c. soils in er of 
hot-springs &c., serpentine soils, soil heavily manured by sea-bi 
Loess soils occur over ie areas in the South Island. They fäve arisen 
from silt blown from the glacial river-beds; such accumulation and transport 
still goes on. Loess is frequently mixed with clay derived from the underlying 
rock or of glacial origin. Loess, pure or mixed, is the BR Bi to the E. 
of the Divide in the South Island. 
Pumice soils play a large part in the centre of the North Island and the 
land adjacent. When pure, unweathered and perhaps mixed with scoria, they 
provide, even in a wet climate merely steppe or desert conditions. When 
weathered and mixed with humus, pumice soil is fertile enough, as the farms 
of the Waikato, and, in part those of Hawkes Bay, bear witness. 
Clay soils of various kinds are common in the North, South and BIHAL: wa 
ınds. The extremely abundant greywacke readily weathers into clay. The 
low hills and undulating ground of lowland Auckland, known as the | gumlands” = 
are covered -with a great depth of specially impervious clay age in ‚kumus, ” 
which though variable in quality is generally e 
cially so with the white clays locally ag 
ehe are formed from Erle lay ur 
The fertility 
