A SCIENTIST'S COLLECTING TOUR.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 92, 11 January 1908, Page 7

A SCIENTIST'S COLLECTING TOUR.

AN INTERESTING. PLANT. - • 'Mr. A. Hamilton, Director of tlio Dominion Museum, who has just roturned from a tour in tho Taupo district in search of new insects for his Museum collection, states that tho most interesting cpiscdo of his journey relates' to tho discovery, riot of insects, but, of a plant. About live years ago, Mr. Hill, Inspector of Schools in Mawko's 'Hay, wluln botanising in tho Opepe bush, about ten miles from Taupo, found a curiou3 llower in tho vegetable mould at the base of tho largo .trees of the bush.' This flowrt;ho sent to Mr. Clieoseniaii, of Auckland, who pronouiiced.it. to. |jo extremely interesting, as it was i'ipt'.only .'how as a genus and sji-jox's to New Zealand, ' but .also represented an additional natural order of plants., " During the past fortnight Mr. Hill and Air. Hamilton mado a common search to find tho plant again, but were unsuccessful. On a later day, however, Mr. Hill was fortunato enough to discover over ono specimens in full llower. T'heso ivero immediately put into ionnalin, and tlio hulk of them despatched to Mr. Cheeseman for further study. Tho plant has 110 apparent leaves, and tho liowers, which are of a scarlet colour, and resemble small fuchsias, aro not visible until tho surface niojild and foreign leaves are scratched nway. Hence arises tho difficulty of finding tho plant. Now that sufficient material is available for proper examination, there is 110 doubt that Mr. Chtv.-senmn will describe and figuro this rcnmrkablo growth. Mr. Hill kindly presented a few specimens to tho Museum, and Mr. Hamilton has brought theso back with him. The insects collected by Mr. Hamilton will form useful additions to tho Museum collection, but 110 special variotics woro obtained. After leaving tlio Taupo district Mr. Hamilton collected somo specimens in Napier and Ormondville.