370 
New Zealand Ferns 
laden atmosphere to refresh the great feathery fronds, 
and it is doomed. 
The above description will prepare the reader for my 
difficulties in getting a leaf for photographing. Some 
plants were sent me from Mamaku, on the Rotorua 
railway. The day was moist and drizzling, which en- 
sured their arriving in good order. The best leaf was 
photographed, but alas ! it was not a perfect specimen, 
having suffered on the journey. 
Realising more fully the obstacles that had to be over- 
come, I thought out a plan. To begin with, I spent many 
hours in making a flat, air-tight box, with cunning con- 
trivances in the corners to hold damp moss, and a solid 
lid that screwed on tight, the whole being wrapped in 
waterproof paper. This was sent to my daughter in the 
King Country, where the fern grows in abundance, with 
the most elaborate instructions — the specimens were to 
be perfect, about 20 inches long, the stalks wrapped in 
a wet rag, nailed through the midrib, one frond to the 
bottom and one to the lid, and the space between packed 
with light moss, etc., etc. As the express did not stop at 
her station, it was to be forwarded by the goods train 
to Te Ivuiti, catch the express at 3 a.m., and arrive in 
Auckland before 7. 
W hen I heard from my daughter that the fern would 
be forwarded on Friday evening I hunted up the powers 
that be in Auckland, to make sure that there should be 
no hitch. I calculated, if everything went well, that the 
fern would be in the hands of the photographer — Mr. 
Birch — 15 hours after it had been gathered, and I hoped 
that the air-tight box would preserve it for that length 
of time. However, the friend upon whose judgment I 
placed most reliance predicted that the fronds would be 
shrivelled and worthless within an hour of their being 
gathered ; my only chance was to get a well-rooted plant 
packed in a large case, the top protected with bagging. 
Meanwhile, my daughter and her henchman set out 
at 2 p.m. on horseback, the precious box slung in a sack 
