Vlll 
PREFACE 
painting the flora of Australia, they owe whatever 
interest they possess. The task, which I undertook at 
first to please him, soon became my greatest interest and 
an unfailing source of pleasure. The latter part of the 
book consists of a selection of my letters from New 
Zealand, written some years later in sadder days and 
altered circumstances. Portions of some of these 
letters appeared in the Sydney Town and Country 
Journal , and for permission to reprint these passages I 
am indebted to the kind courtesy of the proprietor. 
It only remains for me to express my gratitude to the 
many friends in Queensland and New Zealand for their 
kindness to me, and for the generous and ungrudging 
help given me in my work. 
E. R. 
November 1897. 
