488 



ISLAND LIFE 



PART II 



I recognise a parallelism or harmony in the main common 

 features of contiguous floras, which conveys the impression 

 of their generic affinity, at least, being affected by migra- 

 tion from centres of dispersion in one of them, or in some 

 adjacent country. In this case it is widely different. Re- 

 garding the question from the Australian point of view, it 

 is impossible in the present state of science to reconcile 

 the fact of Acacia, Eucalyptus, Casuarina, Callitris, &c., 

 being absent in New Zealand, with any theory of trans- 

 oceanic migration that may be adopted to explain the 

 presence of other Australian plants in New Zealand ; and 

 it is very difficult to conceive of a time or of conditions 

 that could explain these anomalies, except by going back 

 to epochs when the prevalent botanical as well as geograph- 

 ical features of each were widely different from what they 

 are now. On the other hand, if I regard the question 

 from the New Zealand point of view, I find such broad 

 features of resemblance, and so many connecting links that 

 afford irresistible evidence of a close botanical connection, 

 that I cannot abandon the conviction that these great dif- 

 ferences will present the least difficulties to whatever 

 theory may explain the whole case." I will now state, as 

 briefly as possible, what are the facts above referred to as 

 being of so anomalous a character, and there is little diffi- 

 culty in doing so, as we have them fully set forth, with 

 admirable clearness, in the essay above alluded to, and in 

 the same writer's Introduction to the Flora of New Zealand, 

 only requiring some slight modifications, owing to the later 

 discoveries which are given in the Handlooh of the New 

 Zealand Flora. 



Since this was published, however, botanical exploration 

 has been active in New Zealand, and Mr. W. B. Kemsiey 

 states in 1894, that 550 new species of flowering plants 

 had been described, which, in addition to the 935 in the 

 Handhool% would make a total of 1,485 species ; but he is 

 of opinion that a considerable proportion of these do not 

 rank on an equality with the species of the Handlook, so 

 that the actual number of known species will be very 

 much less. But the chief interest of the New Zealand 

 flora is in the affinities of the genera, and as very few new 

 genera have been added, the general conclusions drawn 



