NEW ZEALAND GLACIERS. 445 
hue. Clumps of flax (Phormium tenax) and isolated cabbage 
trees (Cordyline australis) make the desolation appear more 
desolate. The rain-fall is but 25 inches. The air is clear, bright, 
and exhilarating, and when we do penetrate into the furthest 
recesses of the mountains, to the very brink of the glaciers, we 
at last come toa rank vegetation brought into existence 
by the rains condensed by the cold ice peaks. Acclimatization 
has produced wonderful results in New Zealand. On the great 
grassy plains, where the moa once stalked majestically, the sky- 
lark is now the commonest of birds, the sparrow threatens to 
become a plague, as the rabbit has done, and English weeds seem 
determined to establish themselves and attain to a fertility 
unexampled at home. Clouds of thistle-down fill the air, and 
sorrel usurps the ground prepared for oats and wheat. Amongst 
other interesting points brought out by this invasion of the vege- 
table kingdom, one at least is worthy of special notice—the failure 
of red clover, while white clover thrives amazingly. In the 
neighbouring island of Tasmania red clover grows well, and it is 
now believed that till the humble bee is introduced to fertilize the 
flowers, red clover will not propagate itself in New Zealand.* 
On the 12th of last November I sailed from Plymouth for 
Melbourne in the Orient steamer “Garonne,” having arranged 
with Ulrich Kaufmann and Emil Boss, both of Grindelwald, to 
follow me in the next ship. Unfortunately small-pox broke out 
in my ship, and between a delay at the Cape and quarantine at 
Melbourne I was not able to reach New Zealand and join my 
men till February 5th. Immediately on landing I received a 
kind telegram from Dr. Hector, and a letter from the Minister 
for Railways enclosing free passes on the New Zealand railways 
for myself and guides during our stay in the Colony. I lost no 
time in reaching Christchurch, where I spent an afternoon in Dr. 
Haast’s company, he being the great authority on the topography 
of the Southern Alps ; and next morning we started in the train 
for the south. On arriving at Timaru we had a delay of three 
hours before the train left by a branch line for Albury, and we 
occupied the time in purchasing provisions for our mountain 
journey. As we were assured that we could get sheep right up 
to the snows of Mount Cook, we took with us but a small supply 
of meat in tins. Flour, meal, bread, and biscuits, formed the 
bulk of our stores. 
On reaching Albury by rail we hired a waggon and horses, 
and on the evening of the next day we got our first view of the 
great snowy range. The contrast between the brown, flattened 
downs over which we drove and the purple, ice-seamed peaks 
was most striking. Next morning we were up betimes, as 
we did not know how long our journey might be, and our driver 
was unacquainted with the country beyond this point. Our road 
soon lost itself in the rolling downs, so we walked on in advance 
pioneering the way, and thus before mid-day we reached the 
* See Meeting of Cant. Phil, Inst. held on 7th June, 1883. 
