Dec., 1923 ] 
CAMPBELL — AUSTRALASIAN BOTANICAL NOTES 
517 
tains is the narrow Westland plain, a strip about 10 kilometers wide be¬ 
tween the mountains and the sea. The sea-coast is extremely irregular, 
with many deep inlets. In the southwest part of the island, the numerous 
fiords offer some of the finest scenic features of New Zealand. 
As we have already seen, the flora of New Zealand is highly peculiar; 
but, on account of the relatively small area of the country and of its uniform 
climate, it is much less extensive than that of Australia, and there are no 
such contrasts as, for instance, that between the floras of tropical Queens¬ 
land and of West Australia. Cook’s Strait has very little effect as a barrier, 
and many species extend practically throughout the whole extent of both 
North and South Islands. 
An analysis of the flora shows that in spite of its temperate climate and 
southward extension, the Malayan element is predominant. While certain 
Australian families, genera, and even species occur, they are by no means so 
abundant as those of unmistakable Malayan origin, and, moreover, many of 
the genera which New Zealand shares with Australia are Malayan types, 
rather than truly Australian; e.g., Agathis, Metrosideros, Dendrobium, and 
many ferns. The South American, or “Fuegian” element, which is also 
represented to some extent in Australia (especially in Tasmania), is an 
important factor in New Zealand, especially in the South Island, but well 
represented also in the mountain floras of the North Island. 
In the North Island especially, but to some extent also in the South 
Island, the luxuriant forests which covered much of the country have been 
ruthlessly swept away. While this has been done to some extent for timber, 
a much larger area has been destroyed to provide pasturage for the flocks 
and herds which constitute the main wealth of the country. The loss of 
timber, and the damage due to denudation of water-sheds, must be very 
great; and large stretches of waste country covered with bracken fern and 
worthless scrub have replaced the vanished forests all over the country. As 
one looks at these worse than useless wastes, one can not but feel that the 
pastoral industries have been a bit overdone in Australasia. 
Originally the North Island was very largely covered with heavy forest, 
in much of which the Kauri pine (.Agathis Australis ) was the most important 
tree. Owing to the great value of its timber, very little remains of this 
largest and most valuable timber tree in New Zealand. A tract of fine 
Kauri forest north of Auckland has been acquired by the government as a 
national park, and I had an opportunity of visiting this, which gives an 
excellent idea of the great forest which formerly covered the adjacent 
country. 
As one approaches the Kauri forest, the huge spreading crowns of the 
giant trees are seen standing far above the other trees, reminding one, in a 
way, of the lofty domes of the sequoias overtopping the other trees of the 
Sierra forest. The habit of the Kauri, however, is very different from that 
of any of our great American conifers. The leaves are broad and in shape 
