﻿T. 
  KiEK. 
  — 
  On 
  the 
  Botany 
  of 
  Islands 
  in 
  the 
  Hanrafd 
  Gulf. 
  445 
  

  

  In 
  this 
  paper 
  I 
  purpose 
  to 
  offer 
  a 
  brief 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  chief 
  characteristics 
  

   of 
  the 
  vegetation 
  of 
  these 
  islands, 
  and 
  to 
  draw 
  attention 
  to 
  those 
  features 
  

   which 
  have 
  been 
  most 
  stro'ngly 
  developed 
  by 
  their 
  respective 
  physical 
  

   peculiarities. 
  

  

  The 
  largest 
  island 
  of 
  the 
  group 
  is 
  Waiheke, 
  about 
  thirteen 
  miles 
  in 
  

   length; 
  with 
  a 
  mean 
  breadth 
  of 
  three 
  and 
  a-half 
  miles, 
  although 
  in 
  some 
  

   places 
  much 
  wider. 
  It 
  is 
  estimated 
  to 
  comprise 
  23,200 
  acres, 
  of 
  which 
  

   1,500 
  are 
  laid 
  down 
  in 
  grass. 
  It 
  consists 
  chiefly 
  of 
  stiff 
  clays, 
  sandstones, 
  

   and 
  slates, 
  and 
  in 
  its 
  altitude 
  and 
  general 
  characteristics 
  bears 
  considerable 
  

   resemblance 
  to 
  the 
  island 
  of 
  Kawau. 
  The 
  hills 
  are 
  low, 
  nowhere 
  exceeding 
  

   750 
  feet 
  in 
  altitude, 
  the 
  valleys 
  are 
  chiefly 
  of 
  an 
  open 
  character, 
  and 
  there 
  

   are 
  few 
  deep 
  ravines 
  ; 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  coast 
  line 
  is 
  rocky 
  ; 
  in 
  fact, 
  there 
  are 
  

   only 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  short 
  pieces 
  of 
  sandy 
  beach 
  on 
  the 
  entire 
  coast, 
  and 
  there 
  

   are 
  no 
  extensive 
  swamps. 
  Manganese 
  crops 
  out 
  on 
  the 
  surface 
  in 
  several 
  

   localities, 
  and 
  is 
  now 
  worked 
  in 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  places, 
  forming 
  an 
  article 
  of 
  

   export. 
  At 
  the 
  present 
  time, 
  partly 
  from 
  actual 
  clearing 
  of 
  forest 
  land 
  and 
  

   laying 
  down 
  in 
  grass, 
  and 
  partly 
  from 
  the 
  destruction 
  effected 
  by 
  the 
  

   constant 
  browsing 
  of 
  cattle, 
  coupled 
  with 
  frequent 
  buriung 
  of 
  the 
  fern 
  and 
  

   manuka 
  in 
  the 
  open 
  country, 
  the 
  relative 
  proportion 
  between 
  different 
  

   species 
  has 
  become 
  greatly 
  altered, 
  but 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  reason 
  to 
  suppose 
  that 
  

   even 
  a 
  single 
  species 
  has 
  been 
  extirpated. 
  

  

  The 
  forest 
  vegetation 
  is 
  usually 
  of 
  considerable 
  luxuriance, 
  although, 
  as 
  

   a 
  rule, 
  not 
  remarkable 
  for 
  timber 
  of 
  large 
  dimensions 
  ; 
  to 
  this 
  however 
  there 
  

   are 
  some 
  notable 
  exceptions. 
  The 
  kauri 
  (Dammara 
  austraUs) 
  was 
  formerly 
  

   plentiful 
  in 
  several 
  localities, 
  but 
  has 
  become 
  extremely 
  rare 
  ; 
  as 
  on 
  the 
  

   Great 
  Barrier 
  Island, 
  so 
  on 
  Waiheke, 
  it 
  specially 
  affected 
  soils 
  derived 
  from 
  

   the 
  older 
  rocks. 
  The 
  tooth-leaved 
  beech 
  (Fagus 
  fuscaj 
  occurs 
  in 
  con- 
  

   siderable 
  quantity 
  at 
  the 
  sea 
  level, 
  occasionally 
  of 
  large 
  size 
  ; 
  the 
  rimu 
  

   ( 
  Dacrijcliuin 
  cupressiaum 
  ) 
  also 
  frequently 
  attains 
  large 
  dimensions, 
  but 
  the 
  

   totara 
  [Podocarpus 
  totara) 
  is 
  rare 
  and 
  always 
  small; 
  the 
  maire 
  (P. 
  ferrugiuea) 
  

   is 
  rather 
  more 
  plentiful, 
  and 
  the 
  matai 
  ( 
  P. 
  spicata) 
  decidedly 
  rare 
  ; 
  I 
  did 
  

   not 
  observe 
  a 
  single 
  specimen 
  of 
  large 
  size. 
  The 
  tawa 
  ( 
  Xeso 
  daphne 
  tawa) 
  

   forms 
  a 
  large 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  forest 
  in 
  many 
  places, 
  while 
  the 
  taraire 
  fX. 
  

   tar 
  a 
  ire) 
  is 
  comparatively 
  rare; 
  the 
  pukatea 
  ( 
  Atheroxpenna 
  novcr-zealuiidice), 
  

   white 
  pine 
  (Podocarpus 
  dacri/diuidcsj, 
  and 
  tanekaha 
  ( 
  Phgllocladus 
  tricho- 
  

   manoidesj 
  are 
  not 
  infrequent; 
  puriri 
  iVitex 
  litloralis), 
  rata 
  ( 
  Metrosideros 
  

   robnstaj, 
  hinau 
  ( 
  Eleocarpns 
  dentatusj, 
  kowliai 
  ( 
  Supliora 
  tetraptera 
  ), 
  ma- 
  

   ngiao 
  (Tetranthera 
  calicaris), 
  'kohe-liolie 
  ( 
  Dijsoxi/luin 
  spcctahile 
  ), 
  titoki 
  ( 
  Alec- 
  

   trgon 
  excelsum), 
  toro 
  ( 
  Persoonia 
  toroj, 
  tipau 
  (Mgrsine 
  salicinaj, 
  mapau 
  

   fM. 
  australis), 
  and 
  others 
  affording 
  useful 
  woods 
  are 
  found 
  in 
  most 
  forest 
  

   districts, 
  although 
  nowhere 
  abundant, 
  One 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  strongly 
  marked 
  

  

  