794 SUBANTAECTIC ISLANDS OF NEW ZEALAND. [Summary of Results. 



in the northern end of the latter. The surface of the Auckland Islands is so thickly- 

 covered with vegetation, and the difficulties of locomotion are so great, that the time 

 of the geologist cannot be used to anjrfching like the full advantage. 



In connection with the discussion of the geological and biological questions, it 

 will be desirable to have a much more complete series of soundings between New 

 Zealand and the various islands, and particularly between Auckland and Campbell 

 Islands and Macquarie Island, and between the latter and the Antarctic Continent. 

 In response to a request made through the Premier, Sir J. G. Ward, by the Philo- 

 sophical Institute of Canterbury, the Vice-Admiral and Commander-in-Chief of the 

 Australian Station has given instructions that His Majesty's ships visiting the 

 southern islands are to take soundings between New Zealand and the Auckland 

 and Campbell Islands on every opportunity. 



The rich results, especially in the Foraminifera, of the few dredgings that were 

 taken during the expedition show how greatly our knowledge would be increased 

 by further and more systematic dredging in the New Zealand region. Much also 

 still remains to be done in the collection of the littoral marine fauna and flora, for 

 during the visit of the expedition attention was primarily devoted to the terrestrial 

 forms, and the marine animals and plants were only more or less incidentally col- 

 lected as opportunity offered. Several of the marine groups — such as the Polyzoa, 

 the Hydrozoa, the Cirrifedia, and the Tunicata — have not been collected at all, and 

 even in the others that are dealt with somewhat fully in this work much still 

 remains to be done. 



The surface of the islands, and of the Auckland Group particularly, is so 

 diversified, and includes so many different islands, that it is not to be expected that 

 more than a small proportion of the commonest of the smaller animals was obtained 

 during the expedition. The visit was, moreover, made too early in the season to 

 allow of a satisfactory collection of the insects being made. No doubt further re- 

 search will bring to light many other forms, especially among the insects, the spiders, 

 myriapods, and probably among the land-shells. Owing partly to unfavourable 

 weather and to difficulties of collecting, the fresh- water streams have been only very 

 superficially examined, and a more complete biological survey of the lakelets in 

 Auckland Island and of the whole of the fresh waters of the islands is very much 

 to be desired — e.g., the Entomostraca have not been collected at all, but would pro- 

 bably yield important results. 



A few Myriapoda and fresh-water planarians were collected, but time has not 

 allowed of a report being prepared upon them, and the reports on the land planarians 

 and nemerteans, and on the Hirudinea are only preliminary. 



The flowering -plants and ferns have been pretty thoroughly collected more than 

 once by competent botanists, and probably most of the species on these islands are 

 now known ; but much more requires to be done regarding their local distribution 

 and ecology. In several cases uncertainties still exist with regard to the species, 

 due partly to the fact that, owing to the time of the year at which the visit had to 

 be made, many of the plants were not in full flower. On the other hand, the cryp- 

 togamic plants — mosses, liverworts, and fungi — which appear to be extremely varied 

 and abundant, are only imperfectly known. The fresh-water Algae have as yet 

 received no attention, and the marine Algae have been collected at only a small 

 number of stations. 



