XXX HISTORY OF 
by Dr. E. Dieffenbach in 1840. He remained in the group for several 
months, and succeeded in forming large collections. On his return these 
were placed in the hands of the late Baron Mueller, of Melbourne, who 
published the results in his “‘ Vegetation of the Chatham Islands,” issued 
in 1864. In it Baron Mueller enumerates 129 species, of which sixty-two 
are phaenogams and sixty-seven cryptogams. Seven new species were 
described. The work forms an important addition to the botanical literature 
of the colony, but New Zealand botanists entirely repudiate the peculiar 
views entertained by the author respecting the circumscription of many 
of the species. For instance, he merges the whole of the species of Veroneca 
found in the Chathams, together with thirteen others from New Zealand, 
into one collective species, to which he gives the new name of V. Lorsterz. 
An excellent account of Mr. Travers’s visit was contributed by himself to 
the first volume of the “‘ Transactions of the New Zealand Institute.” In 
1871 he again visited the group, adding largely to his previous list. On 
this occasion his collections were worked out by Mr. Buchanan in his paper 
on “ The Flowering-plants and Ferns of the Chatham Islands.” Mr. H. H. 
Travers has also made collections on the Tararua Mountains, the Nelson 
mountains, and in other localities. 
The important discoveries made in the interior of the South Island 
during the ten years following the publication of the “ Flora Novae- 
Zealandiae,’ and the increasing demand for a concise and inexpensive 
account of the plants of the colony, induced the New Zealand Government 
to make arrangements with Sir J. D. Hooker for the publication of such a 
work. The first part, containing the flowering-plants and ferns, appeared 
in 1864, under the title of “ Handbook of the New Zealand Flora’’; the 
concluding part, comprising the mosses, Hepaticac, and lower cryptogams, 
followed in 1867. Its publication at once showed the great advance which 
had been made in elucidating the flora. The 731 species of flowering- 
plants and 119 ferns known in 1853 were increased to 935 and 135 
respectively, an increase of nearly one-quarter ; while the additional infor- 
mation obtained with regard to the distribution of the species was 
correspondingly large. The general plan of the work was in accordance 
with that recommended by Sir W. J. Hooker for a uniform series of floras 
of the British colonies, a project which has been to a considerable extent 
carried out. In point of execution the Handbook realized all the expecta- 
tions which could have been entertained. The clearness and excellence 
of the descriptions and their general accuracy are most noteworthy, 
especially when it is considered that a large proportion of the species have 
been examined and described by the author alone. Its publication gave 
an immense impetus to the study of the indigenous vegetation, and it must 
always remain the foundation for future systematic work on the botany 
of the colony. 
The number of persons who have collected plants or published 
memoirs relating to New Zealand botany during the forty years which 
have elapsed since the publication of the Handbook is so large that I can 
only allude to the chief workers here. The first place must be accorded to 
Mr. T. Kirk, both from the number of his discoveries and the importance of 
his publications. Arrivin, in the colony in 1863 he at once devoted himself 
to its botany, his first discoveries being briefly mentioned in the appendix 
to the second part of the Handbook. For ten years after his arrival he 
resided in Auckland, his chief explorations during that period being that of 
the Great Barrier Island in 1867, of the north-eastern coast of the northern 
