294 
Memoranda of an Excursion 
pectant ear. My natives, somehow, had strayed into* 
another direction, or lagged behind, so that 1 saw 
nothing more of them until after sunset on Tuesday, the 
15th, when they joined me on the outer beach of Wan- 
garei Bay. 
During these two days I managed to subsist on some 
shell-fish (Mytilus, sp.) from the rocks, the scanty 
sarcocarp of the fruit of the Corynocarpus Icevigatus ,. 
Forst. (the large kernel of this fruit being in its raw 
state an active poison), and the inner young leaves of 
Areca sapida , SoL; this latter plant (the palm of New 
Zealand) affords good eating, a bonne bouche to any one 
in my situation. My natives were exceedingly happy 
the next night, on coming up to the spot where I had 
brought up for the night, and finding me safe and well. 
To their honour be it mentioned, that, though they 
were bearers of provisions, they would not touch a 
morsel of it during the two days we were separated 
from each other knowing that I was without food; 
saying, u What! shall we eat when our father is fast¬ 
ing?” Like myself, they subsisted on shell-fish and the 
fruit before mentioned. 
On the morning of the 16th, leaving the little fishing 
hut in which we had passed the night, we struck in¬ 
land towards Te Ruakaka; a small village a few miles 
from the south shore of Wangarei Bay. Arriving 
thither, we were hospitably received, and, having break¬ 
fasted, resumed our journey onwards. In the low 
rushy land between this village and the inner shore of 
the harbour, 1 discovered a species of Lycopodium , 
with axillary spikes of fructification, which was new to 
me; it grew together with a closely-allied species, Z. 
laterale , R. J3r,, from which plant, however, it differs 
