of large boulders 3 ft. to 8 ft. in diameter, but running roughly parallel with the sea throughout the length of the boulder-strewn plain are two excellently defined shingle beaches. These stand out most conspicuously, and form natural roadways along which one may drive. For the greater part the shingle presents an appearance differing little from that of beaches which often exist now at the ocean's marge. In many places the shingle is, however, overgrown with Muehlenbeckia complexa, or with grasses and other plants. The main impression left on one's mind is that marvellously little alteration has taken place in the peopling of these areas by plants, and in the external appearance of the shingle generally, in the hundreds of years which have probably elapsed since each was rapidly elevated. The survival of the beaches as shingle involves the fact that it is composed of the harder portions of the country rock, and which would hence, in the equable climate, offer a considerable resistance to the weathering influences; isolated by boulder plains on all sides, little dust could blow in and form soil between the interstices, and without soil little atmospheric moisture could be retained. Only specially adapted shingle-plants, such as Muchlenbeckia, could, therefore, hope to survive in such a station.

Happily, we are not entirely in the dark as to the rapidity with which these beaches may be elevated beyond the reach of the breakers. It is well known that the coast at Mukumuku was elevated 9 ft. during the earthquakes of 1855 (see Crawford, Trans. N.Z. Inst., Essay, vol. 1, p. 18). Knowing this, the author carefully searched the boulder-strewn shore a little above high-water mark, and was rewarded by finding traces of a shingle beach about that altitude above high-water mark. Further search nearer Mukumuku showed a long strip of shingle beach quite as well developed as the older beaches. The fact that the sea is now breaking on boulders and monoliths somewhat discounts the thought that beach No. 1 may be a mere storm beach. Exploring the country adjacent to the hills, two much older shingle beaches were found. These nearly everywhere have been obliterated by the debris carried down by temporary creeks from the steep hillsides, the site of the older beaches being now occupied by fans of angular shingle, mixed with finer detritus, many acres in extent, which may or may not support a flora. This recent alluvium has buried these two older beaches many feet below the surface, but where fragments of them remain one is again struck with the extremely recent appearance of the beach, as Plate XIV, fig. 1, truly depicts. The interesting fact that the younger of these beaches is that more thickly populated by a flora is probably accounted for by the difference in size of the component stones, which explanatión must also suffice for the fact that much of the newer fan-material supports dense formations of herbage or arboreal growth. Five distinct shingle beaches have now been mentioned, which for the sake of ease of reference may be designated by the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, No. 1 being the youngest (the 1855) beach and No. 5 the oldest. Observations taken with a surveying aneroid show that the level of each of these beaches is practically constant along its entire length—that is to say, beach No. 1 is approximately 9 ft. (see Plate XIII, fig. 4), beach No. 2 is 40 ft., beach No. 3 is 60 ft. (see Plate XIV, fig. 2), beach No. 4 is 80ft. (see Plate XIII, fig. 2), and beach No. 5 is 95ft. (see Plate XIV, fig. 1) above high-water mark.

The material of which all this elevated country is composed has so far been roughly classified as boulders and shingle, but there is a third most extraordinary component, the solitary monoliths which stand out sometimes

as much as 15 ft. above the surrounding country, enabling a comprehensive view of it to be obtained from their summits. There are no monoliths or disproportionately sized boulders on the beaches, with a few unimportant exceptions. Plate XIV, fig. 1, shows a few large boulders have rolled, perhaps comparatively recently, on or near beach No. 5. These monoliths are often very much undercut, and present the appearance of having rolled into the positions they now occupy, rather than of having been weathered into their present shape by wave-action. Where the sea broke at the tide-limits a shingle beach would form; above and below the tide-limits less weathering would occur. Sudden elevation would remove an area beyond reach of the waves, and as this was repeated the alternation of shingle and boulder is thus accounted for. Possibly the original relation of shore to sea-floor was that of a perpendicular or overhanging cliff with the floor projected at an obtuse angle from the base of it. Successive movements of the earth might dislodge much of the cliff-material, and build up a submarine platform. One would like to find some explanation for the fact-that these rolled monoliths occur such a distance from the base of the present cliffs. It is not easy to see how faulting at the base of the cliffs can have been a factor in the uplift, as this would have to take place in a semicircular sweep round the cape, and there is plenty of evidence of recent dislodgment of large masses of rock from the hillside. Earthquakes may have played a considerable part in loosening large masses of rock. One rolled monolith examined was roughly cubical in shape, and its side measured 15 ft., its estimated weight being 250 tons.

The age of these beaches is a most fascinating theme to speculate upon. The fresh appearance of the shingle makes it hard to realize that centuries must have elapsed since they were removed beyond the reach of the tide Mr. Elsdon Best informs me of a Maori tradition which relates that the Miramar Peninsula, previously an island, was elevated about four hundred years ago to its present position, which is evidence, of a kind, of coast-elevation within historic-times, prior to 1855. (See also Cotton, p. 245 of this volume.)

If the geological features of this area are intensely interesting, the botanical features are even more so. Within a few hundred yards may be found the plants of the arid rock-faces, the fresh-water swamps and ponds, the sea littoral, the grass meadows, and the forest.

Starting from the sea-shore a little above high-water mark, in a situation well moistened by sea-spray are found the usual halophytic plants, Salicornia australis Sol., Samolus repens Pers., Triglochin striatum var. filifolium Buch., Apium prostratum Labill., Selliera radicans Cav., Scirpus' nodosus Rottb., Carex ternaria Forst., Juncus effusus Linn. These are growing between boulders 3 ft. to 4 ft. in diameter, which formation occupies some 10 or 20 yards until the shingle of beach No. 1 is reached. On this grow the beautiful Glaucium flavum Crantz (naturalized), Senecio lautus Forst., Apium prostratum Labill., Poa anceps Forst., Calystegia soldanella R. Br., and the naturalized Picris echioides Linn. and Plantago lanceolata Linn.

Now comes a stretch of big boulders and monoliths, amongst which are growing in very wet or very dry stations the following: Leptocarpus simplex A. Rich., Mariscus ustulatus Clarke, Phormium Cookianum Le Jolis, Selliera radicans Cav., Raoulia australis Hook. f., Muehlenbeckia complexa Meissn., Olearia Solandri Hook. f., Cassinia leptophylla R. Br., Plagianthus divaricatus Forst., Hymenanthera crassifolia Hook. f., Arundo conspicua Forst., Euphorbia glauca Forst., Clematis Colensoi Hook f., Epilobium

erectum D. Petrie, Deyeuxia Forsteri Kunth., Poa anceps Forst., P. caespitosa, Forst., Myoporum and Coprosma Baueri Endl. shrubs (occasionally), Australina pusilla Gaud., Adiantum affine Willd., and the naturalized Picris echioides Linn., Nasturtium officinale R. Br., Myosotis palustris Linn. Parts of this rockery may not be so wet, and may then contain Leptospermum scoparium Forst., L. ericoides A. Rich., Coprosma rhamnoides A. Cunn., C. robusta Raoul, C. parviflora Hook, f., Pimelea laevigata Gaertn., Olearia Cunninghamii Hook. f., and a sward of introduced Medicago lupulina Linn., and Hypochaeris radicata Linn., and some Caucalis nodosa Scop., Cnicus lanceolatus Willd., Rosa rubiginosa Linn. occurs.

This boulder terrace occupies a width of from 50 to 150 yards, and at the further side of it an abrupt rise consisting of shingle is encountered. This is beach No. 2, and growing on it is often a sward of naturalized Rumex acetosella Linn., Lolium perenne Linn., Festuca myuros Linn., Hordeum murinum Linn., and Erodium cicutarium L'Herit., or a thicket of Silybum Marianum Gaertn.; while the native plants present are Muehlenbeckia complexa Meissn., Aciphylla squarrosa Forst., Hymenanthera crassifolia Hook f., Bulbinella Hookeri Benth., Plagianthus divaricatus Forst., Olearia Solandri Hook f., Coprosma propinqua A. Cunn. At the Orongorongo River, where the beach is composed of coarse sand, it is almost covered in parts with the beautiful silvery Raoulia australis Hook f., with Zoysia pungens Willd. growing through it. Near Mukumuku Stream this plant covers a sandhill some 30 ft. high, which can easily be picked out by its colour some three miles away.

Towards the north-east end of these beaches, on the landward side, just above No. 2 beach, are two ponds. The vegetation surrounding and growing in the larger of these presents considerable contrasts. On the dry shingle of the beach characteristic rounded clumps of Muehlenbeckia complexa Meissn. dominate that position. In wet ground, nearer the pond, Mariscus ustulatus Clarke abounds. Nearer still is Eleocharis acuta R. Br. and plants of Rumex crispus Linn. (natd.). The entire margin of the pond is fringed with a yellow Conferva, and the whole of the pond itself is filled with a dense dark-red growth of Myriophyllum elatinoides Gaud. and a little Potamogeton Cheesemanii Bennett. The landward shore of the pond is covered by Eleocharis and Typha angustifolia Linn., with some Leptocarpus simplex A. Rich., Scirpus lacustris Linn., Juncus effusus Linn., Cladium junceum R. Br., Phormium tenax Forst., Carex ternaria Forst., Calystegia tuguriorum R. Br. The naturalized Nasturtium officinale R. Br. and Myosotis palustris Lam. also occur in considerable quantity. In the dry boulder-bank or in boggy places above are to be found the rare Sebaea ovala R. Br. (a yellow-flowered gentianous plant now for the first time recorded from Wellington Province); Potentilla anserina Linn., Pelargonium australe Jacq., Geranium molle Linn., Hydrocotyle asiatica Linn., Vittadinia australis A. Rich., Gnaphalium collinum Labill., Craspedia uniflora Forst., Festuca multinodis Hack., Microtis parvifolia R. Br., Linum monogynum Forst., Epilobium Billardieranum Ser., Ranunculus hirtus Banks & Sol., Samolus repens Pers., Galium umbrosum Sol., Euphrasia cuneata Forst., Haloragis alata Jacq., H. depressa Walp., Lagenophora pumila Cheesm., Ranunculus rivularis Banks & Sol., Dichelachne crinita Hook. f., and the naturalized Silene gallica Linn., Briza maxima Linn., Cyperus vegetus Willd., Vicia sp. Near Orongorongo Stream Eryngium vesiculosum Labill. occurs plentifully above the beach. In the centre of the stony plain, clustering round the monoliths on the upper edge of beach

No. 2, is to be found a little forest, consisting of Corynocarpus (sometimes 18 in. in circumference), Melicytus ramiflorus Forst., Myrsine Urvilli. A. D. C., Coprosma Cunninghamii Hook f., Panax arboreum Forst., Cordy-line australis Hook. f., Piper excelsum Forst., Coriaria ruscifolia Linn., Asplenium lucidum Forst., Coprosma Baueri Endl., Olearia Cunninghamii Hook. f., Pellaea rotundifolium Hook. f. On beach No. 3 flourish most of the plants mentioned as found on No. 2. Muehlenbeckia complexa Meissn. is the most characteristic on this beach, which is the best developed of the five described. Danthonia semiannularis R. Br., and the naturalized Polycarpon tetraphyllum Linn., Poa pratensis Linn., and Bromus mollis Linn. also occur.

The next strip of boulder terrace, between beach No. 3 and beach No. 4, is most interesting for the number and variety of species it contains. Some portions consist of boulders 5 ft. to 8 ft. in diameter, and fairly uniform in size, and growing among them are Phormium Cookianum Le Jolis, P. tenax Forst., Dichondra repens Forst., Epilobium insulare Haussk., Hymenanthera crassifolia Hook. f., Mariscus ustulatus Clarke, Hydrocotyle asiatica Linn., H. novae-zelandiae, Dichelachne crinita Hook. f., Carex ternaria Forst., Astelia nervosa Banks & Sol., Cordyline australis Hook f., Leptospermum scoparium Forst., Olearia Solandri Hook f., Scirpus prolifer Rottb., Drosera binata Labill., and the naturalized Ranunculus acris Linn, and Myosotis palustris Lam. are common. Extensive Phormium and Typha angustifolia Linn. swamps occur, which also contain Juncus caespiticius, J. prismatocarpus R. Br., J. bufonius Linn., J. vaginatus R. Br., Schoenus axillaris Poir., and ponds may form. In this area occur most of the monoliths, the flora of which. is utterly distinct from that of the swamp, pond, or damper ground immediately below' them. The most remarkable constituent of the monoliths' flora is Dendrobium Cunninghamii, which is growing as a thick sward 6 in. or 7 in. high, and fully exposed to the wind and sun, a fact first noticed by Colenso in this very spot (see “First Journey to the Ruahine Range,” p. 11). Four other epiphytic orchids are growing on the rock-faces—Sarcochilus adversus Hook. f., Bulbophyllum pygmaeum Lindl., Earina mucronata Lindl., and E. suaveolens Lindl.—and yellow clumps of Scleranthus biflorus Hook. f., the climbing Polypodium serpens Forst., and Mesembryanthemum australe Sol. In chasms or small clefts or on the tops some soil has formed, and here are to be found Coprosma Baueri Endl., Hymenanthera crassifolia Hook. f., Arthropodium candidum Raoul, Heli-chrysum filicaule Hook. f., Agropyrum scabrum Beauv., Craspedia uniflora Forst., Clematis Colensoi Hook. f., Luzula campestris D. C., Festuca multinodis Hack., Poa anceps Forst., Danthonia semiannularis R. Br., Pimelea laevigata Gaertn., Linum monogynum Forst., Trisetum antarcticum Prin., Tillaea Sieberiana Schultz, Aciphylla squarrosa Forst., Rhagodia nutans R. Br., Thelymitra longifolia Forst., Dichondra repens Forst., Asplenium flabillifolium Cav., Metrosideros robusta A. Cunn. may even occur.

Above beach No. 3, in wet parts, occur Cotula coronopifolia var. integri-folia Linn., Ranunculus rivularis Banks & Sol., Eleocharis Cunninghamii Boeck., Juncus pallidus R. Br., J. maritimus Lam., J. lampocarpus Ehr., Carex virgata Sol., C. lucida Boott., Azolla rubra R. Br., Lobelia anceps Linn. f., Nertera depressa Banks & Sol.; and in the drier parts Olearia Forsteri Hook. f., Prasophyllum Colensoi Hook. f., Urtica ferox Forst., Calystegia sepium R. Br. Apium prostratum var. filiforme Labill., Rubus cissoides A. Cunn., Lomaria capensis Willd., and the naturalized Lythrum hyssopifolium Linn., Sherardia arvensis Linn., Bromus sterilis Linn.