Lord Howe Island — PARAMONOV 
89 
TABLE 3 
The Duration and Character of Weather at Lord Howe Island, Classed by Wind-Direction 
BAROMETER 
TEMPERATURE (C.°) 
RAINFALL 
RELATIVE 
HUMIDITY 
CLOUD 
WIND 
Mm. 
Min. 
Max. 
Mean 
Days 
Mm. 
Per Cent 
0-10 
Days 
South-east 
764 
15.3 
21.9 
18.6 
23 
44 
67 
6.0 
71 
East 
765 
16.2 
22.6 
19.4 
12 
75 
70 
6.6 
28 
North-east 
764 
15.7 
22.5 
19.1 
17 
136 
71 
5.8 
39 
North. 
761 
18.0 
23.2 
20.6 
20 
317 
77 
8.2 
30 
North-west 
760 
18.6 
24.2 
21.4 
21 
326 
77 
7.4 
46 
West 
760 
14.3 
22.5 
18.4 
13 
165 
77 
7.3 
22 
South-west 
761 
15.0 
21.8 
18.4 
34 
157 
69 
5.7 
80 
South 
762 
15.2 
21.7 
18.5 
14 
45 
70 
5.7 
50 
both New Zealand and New Caledonian gen- 
era, while Howea is related to Malayan and 
tropical Australian genera). 
Of the non-endemic genera 95 are widely 
distributed, occurring in Australia, New Zea- 
land, and the rest of Polynesia exclusive of 
New Zealand; 47 more range widely through- 
out tropical countries, but do not reach New 
Zealand. Their presence may be due largely 
to the accident of latitude, and stamps the 
flora as subtropical. The remaining genera 
have the following range: New Zealand 1 
(Carmichaelia) , Australia 5, Polynesia 3, New 
Zealand and Australia 11, New Zealand and 
Polynesia 2, Africa 1 {Moraea). 
Numerically, therefore, Australian genera 
(158) preponderate; Polynesia (exclusive of 
New Zealand) comes second with 147, and 
New Zealand has 109 genera. The presence of 
a large proportion of widely distributed gen- 
era and species might have been expected in 
the flora of an isolated island, because species 
possessing facilities for wide dispersal would 
naturally form the bulk of immigrants after 
land connection has been severed. 
The author thinks that the presence on the 
island of the wedding lily, Moraea Robinsoniana 
Moore and Muell., is not a case of discon- 
tinuous distribution. It is more probable that 
it was transported by whalers, whose vessels 
very often landed on Lord Howe Island for 
fresh water. The whalers as a rule were visiting 
the cold waters of the southern hemisphere, 
and could easily transport unwittingly the 
seeds of this ornamental plant. This sugges- 
tion is not only theoretical: J. W. Maiden 
(1898) wrote: "The industry (of onions) 
commenced about fifty years ago through the 
finding on the beach (by Mrs. Andrew) of 
two or three onions which had been thrown 
overboard by a passing vessel." During stay 
in harbour the whalers’ vessels usually did 
some cleaning and repair work, and all rub- 
bish was thrown overboard. 
REFERENCES 
Anderson, C. 1925. Notes on the extinct 
chelonian Meiolania , with a record of a new 
occurence. Austral . Mus. Rec. 14(4): 223- 
242, pis. 
— — 1926. The extinct horned turtle 
Meiolania. Austral. Mus. Mag . 2(10): 360- 
362, pis. 
Australian Encyclopaedia. 1927. Lord 
Horn Island. Vol. 1: 765-769- Angus and 
Robertson, Ltd., Sydney. 
Australian Museum. Report of the Trustees 
for 1887, at pages 30-31; Progress report 
of Lord Howe Island collecting party. IN 
New South Wales Parliamentary Papers ( Votes 
and Proceedings) 1888-1889 , vol. 2: 175. 
Bennett, G. 1869- Letter to the Secretary, 
relating to the zoology of Lord Howe Is- 
