358 JOURNAL OF SCIENCE. 
enjoy the necessary facilities for studying our interesting in- 
digenous plants. The production of a new flora should, if pos- 
sible be again entrusted to Sir Joseph Hooker, whose unrivalled 
knowledge and opportunities for examining types specially mark 
him out for the task. At the same time there should be asso- 
ciated with him one or two of our most distinguished local 
botanists, who could supply notices of the habits, general appear- 
ance, and distribution of the species. I may be allowed to men- 
tion the names of Mr. Thomas Kirk, F.L.S., of the Lincoln 
Agricultural School, and Mr. T. F. Cheeseman, F.L.S., ‘of 
Auckland Museum, as highly qualified to fill the position of 
Colonial collaborateurs in such an undertaking. There are 
many reasons for desiring that Sir Joseph Hooker should un- 
dertake the preparation of the new flora, of which I may indicate 
one or two. In the first place our flora has very close affinities 
with those of Australia, the Antarctic Islands, and South 
America ; and there is, so far as I know, no New Zealand 
botanist who has any special or extensive knowledge of the flora 
of these foreign parts; whereas Sir Joseph Hooker both possesses 
the knowledge required, and has unrivalled facilities for examin- 
ing allied plants and for obtaining the opinion of experts in the 
foreign countries mentioned. Secondly, the types of a very large 
number of the New Zealand species are in the Kew Herbarium, : 
and therefore under the immediate custody of Sir Joseph Hooker. 
In the many cases where the identification from a description 
(often brief and vague) is uncertain, a colonial botanist would 
need to have his specimens compared with the Kew types by 
some competent authority, a process which, I venture to think, 
would prove tedious and unsatisfactory. Thirdly, we have in 
New Zealand a large number of highly variable species, and of 
genera containing a great number of slightly differentiated forms. 
In dealing with these wide and varied botanical experience is 
of the highest importance, and in this respect there is not in this, 
nor indeed in any of the Colonies, a botanist who can fora 
moment compare with the Director of the Kew Gardens and 
Herbarium. These considerations to my mind leave the 
Government no option in the choice of an editor for the much- 
needed new flora. 
If a new flora is to be got up, it will not be out of place for 
me to suggest here that during the preparation of the work a 
complete set of type specimens should be made up under Dr. 
Hooker’s personal direction for the Colonial Museum, and for 
each of the universities or colleges in New Zealand. The selec- 
tion of these sets of types will not involve much trouble, and the 
formation of such a collection would be a priceless boon to all 
botanical workers in the Colony. It is surprising that a complete 
set for the Colonial Museum was not made up when the last 
handbook was being got ready. It would have proved of the 
ereatest utility, and saved much unnecessary work, and not a few 
blunders. Should such sets of types be secured, it is to be hoped 
that the managers of the New Zealand Institute will take care to 
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