and comprises a number of large and valuable trees, as well as some smaller ones. Species occur in all the states.

Certain genera, absent from the mainland, are found in Tasmania and New Zealand. Such genera are Phyllocladus and Dacrydium, as well as several others.

Ferns and their relatives are scarce or entirely wanting in a very large part of Australia, owing to the prevalence of arid and semi-arid conditions unsuited to these moisture-loving plants. There are, however, regions where they abound and are an important feature of the vegetation. The ubiquitous brackenfern (Pteridium aquilinum) often covers large tracts of open land, as in northern regions; and in the moist gullies of the Blue Mountains of New South Wales and the forests of Victoria or in the rain-forests of the north there is a rich assortment of Pteridophytes, including some very fine treeferns, interesting Lycopods and the curious Psilotum and Tmesipteris, whose lifehistories, which long baffled the botanist, have at last been revealed through the labors of Lawson and Holloway.

In the rain-forests are many epiphytic species, of which the extraordinary stag-horn ferns (Platycerium) are the most conspicuous; but there are also a good many of the beautiful and delicate filmy ferns (Hymenophyllaceae).

NEW ZEALAND

New Zealand comprises two large islands of about equal size and several adjacent ones of very much smaller dimensions. The northernmost point of the North Island is about 34° south latitude, and the South Island extends to south latitude 47°. The total area of the islands is about 100,000 square miles.

New Zealand presents a marked contrast to Australia, both m its topography and climate. Its relatively small area results in a climate of distinctly insular character, with very much less range of temperature and precipitation than is the case in continental Australia. Owing to its higher latitude, the climate as a whole is rather cool, but severe cold is rare in the lowlands. It is comparable with the climate of Britain, but especially in the North Island is considerably warmer. Owing to the proximity of the sea, there is less difference between North and South than might be expected. Thus between Auckland in the North Island and Invercargill, about ten degrees further south, there is less than ten degrees difference in the average temperature.

For the most part rain is abundant and well distributed, and much of the country shows a luxuriant growth of forest. There are certain regions, however, notably the Canterbury Plain of the South Island, which have a relatively scanty rainfall and are

mostly destitute of trees. These grass-covered plains may be compared to the prairies of the mid-west of the United States.

The topography of New Zealand is for the most part exceedingly rugged, with much higher mountains than those of Australia. In the North Island are extensive volcanic formations, some of which are still active. In the Rotorua district, familiar to tourists, are numerous hot springs and geysers much like those of the Yellowstone and in addition there are active volcanic craters.

In the neighborhood of Auckland are a number of very perfect extinct cones, and on the west coast is Mt. Egmont, over eight thousand feet high. To the south lies the Wellington district, extremely rugged in character. The harbor of Wellington, surrounded by steep mountains, opens into Cook's Strait, separating the North and South Islands.

The South Island shows less extensive evidences of volcanic activity than the North Island. It is distinguished by the lofty snow-clad range of the Southern Alps near the west coast, culminating in the majestic Mount Cook, over twelve thousand feet high, snow covered for most of its height and with extensive glaciers reaching nearly to its base. The southwest coast is indented by numerous fiords, which are said to present a magnificent spectacle.

The Southern Alps exercise a great influence on the climate of the South Island, intercepting a very large part of the moisture from the seaward side. Between the mountains and the coast there are stations with as much as two hundred inches of rain annually, while Christchurch on the east coast has only about twenty-five inches, and there are a few stations with even a lighter precipitation. This dry region is mostly destitute of trees, the ground being covered with coarse tussock-grasses. The contrast between these dry grasslands and the densely forested regions of rainy Westland is most striking.

To the south of the great mountain range the conditions are more uniform, and the whole southern end of the South Island is covered with forest.

The North Island originally was almost completely covered with heavy forest, in which the most important tree was the Kauri pine (Agathis australis). Very little of this splendid forest remains, and the Kauri is almost extinct. A few small tracts have recently been reserved, and I had an opportunity of visiting one of these in the extreme northern part of the island. This new park is of limited extent, but is a typical example of the magnificent Kauri forest which once covered the desolated regions now occupying most of the surrounding country.

The Kauri is entirely different in appearance from any conif

erous tree with which the American botanist is familiar. In its younger stages it shows the symmetrical pyramidal habit of most conifers, but the early branches finally fall off, leaving a perfectly smooth cylindrical bole with very little taper. This columnar trunk may reach a height of sixty to eighty feet, or even more, with a diameter of eight to ten feet, or it is said of twice this size. At the top there are several enormous diverging branches forming an immense spreading crown which overtops the other trees of the forest and gives the tree a most characteristic appearance.

The interior of the Kauri forest, with the huge smooth gray columnar trunks, is most impressive, and only rivalled by the great coniferous forests of the Pacific Coast, or the Cyptomerias of Japan. The New Zealand Kauri must rank as one of the giants of the vegetable kingdom.

Associated with the Kauri are a number of other trees, including several other Conifers or rather Taxads, as these belong to the Yew family. Of the latter the most important are the "Totara" (Podocarpus Totara) and "Rimu" (Dacrydium cupressinum), both valuable timber trees. The curious Phyllocladus trichominoides with flattened twigs (cladodes) looking like small ferleaves, is not uncommon in this region. Some other characteristic trees are Weinmannia sylvicola (Saxifragaceae), said to be the commonest tree in New Zealand, and Beilschmiedia taraire, belonging to the Lauraceae.

A number of fine shrubs, e. g., Coprosma, Pittosporum, Nothopanax and others are common, and as in all New Zealand forests ferns are much in evidence. The abundant and beautiful treeferns lend a special charm to the New Zealand forest. The finest of these is Cyathea medullaris, which may reach a height of upwards of fifty feet and is the finest tree-fern with which I am acquainted.

Other interesting ferns are several species of Gleichenia, and the climbing fern, Lygodium articulatum, which is said to climb to the top of lofty trees. Filmy ferns (Hymenophyllaceae) are common in the damp shady woods, but are hardly as abundant or luxuriant as in the rain-forests of the South Island.

Epiphytes abound in the rain-forests and include many conspicuous mosses and liverworts as well as ferns and various flowering plants. Among the latter are a number of orchids, but these are mostly inconspicuous species, far inferior in beauty to some of the fine Australian epiphytic orchids. Perhaps the most conspicuous epiphyte is a very common liliaceous plant, Astelia solander, forming great tufts of stiff sword-shaped leaves on the trunk or branches of many trees. It very often is seen on the slender stem of the Nikau palm, forming great bunches completely surround