In this paper I purpose to offer a brief account of the chief characteristics of the vegetation of these islands, and to draw attention to those features which have been most strongly developed by their respective physical peculiarities. The largest island of the group is Waiheke, about thirteen miles in length, with a mean breadth of three and a-half miles, although in some places much wider. It is estimated to comprise 23,200 acres, of which 1,500 are laid down in grass. It consists chiefly of stiff clays, sandstones, and slates, and in its altitude, and general characteristics bears considerable resemblance to the island of Kawau. The hills are low, nowhere exceeding 750 feet in altitude, the valleys are chiefly of an open character, and there are few deep ravines; most of the coast line is rocky; in fact, there are only one or two short pieces of sandy beach on the entire coast, and there are no extensive swamps. Manganese crops out on the surface in several localities, and is now worked in one or two places, forming an article of export. At the present time, partly from actual clearing of forest land and laying down in grass, and partly from the destruction effected by the constant browsing of cattle, coupled with frequent burning of the fern and manuka in the open country, the relative proportion between different species has become greatly altered, but there is no reason to suppose that even a single species has been extirpated. The forest vegetation is usually of considerable luxuriance, although, as a rule, not remarkable for timber of large dimensions; to this however there are some notable exceptions. The kauri (Dammara australis) was formerly plentiful in several localities, but has become extremely rare; as on the Great Barrier Island, so on Waiheke, it specially affected soils derived from the older rocks. The tooth-leaved beech (Fagus fusca) occurs in considerable quantity at the sea level, occasionally of large size; the rimu (Dacrydium cupressinum) also frequently attains large dimensions, but the totara (Podocarpus totara) is rare and always small; the maire (P. ferruginea) is rather more plentiful, and the matai (P. spicata) decidedly rare; I did not observe a single specimen of large size. The tawa (Nesodaphne tawa) forms a large portion of the forest in many places, while the taraire (Ntaraire) is comparatively rare; the pukatea (Atherosperma novœ-zealandiœ), white pine (Podocarpus dacrydioides), and tanekaha (Phyllocladus trichomanoides) are not infrequent; puriri (Vitex littoralis), rata (Metrosideros robusta), hinau (Eleocarpus dentatus), kowhai (Sophora tetraptera), mangiao (Tetranthera calicaris), kohe-kohe (Dysoxylum spectabile), titoki (Alectryon excelsum), toro (Persoonia toro), tipau (Myrine salicina), mapau (M. australis), and others affording useful woods are found in most forest districts, although nowhere abundant. One of the most strongly marked