in New Zealand . 
265 
on which my eager gaze then rested! The grass grew, 
the flowers blossomed, and the river rolled, but not for 
man! Solitude all!! Even the very little birds, few 
though they were in number, seemed to think with me; 
for they flew from spray to spray around and about my 
path with their melancholy “ twit, twit,” as if wishing 
to have all they possibly could of the company of a 
passer-by. Their actions were quite in unison with my 
thoughts; and I feelingly exclaimed—“ Oh! Solitude, 
where are thy charms,” &c. Descending to the banks 
of the river Wirinaki, I was rewarded with the discovery 
of a few new plants, among which were—two species of 
Epilobium, one of which was very beautiful, having 
its small linear and serrate leaves densely imbri¬ 
cated, and fruit alternately and longitudinally striated 
and striped with black stripes—a small shrubby Dra- 
cophyllam —and a very pretty little Polygonum , some 
plants being so small as not to exceed an inch in height, 
although bearing both flower and fruit! Proceeding on 
over the long plain I had seen from the summit of the 
hill, I got specimens of some small ? Restiaceous plants, 
which, with Leucopogon Fraserii , and the minikin Po¬ 
lygonum already noticed, composed the vegetation of this 
very desolate and sterile spot. I think I never before 
saw so barren a plain as this; a truly “ blasted heath;” 
or, in the nervous language of Holy Writ, “ a parched 
place in the wilderness, a salt land and not inhabited.” 
Night was fast closing around us, and we quickened 
our pace, although excessively tired, in hopes of finding 
a few sticks, wherewith to kindle a fire, for none at 
present appeared within ken. After some time we found 
some small dry scrub (Leptospermum scoparium) on the 
bank of the river, where we bivouacked for the night. 
VOL. II. no. ix. 2 B 
