C—6

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condition, though apparently an old bird. Perhaps it was one of the original birds that was brought here some years ago. Kiwi are also well established, as they have been heard calling at night in several places on the sanctuary. On several occasions my wife and I camped out all night to listen for the call of the. kiwi, and every time many of them could be heard. A nest of the kiwi was found m the Kaiwharawhara Valley, commonly called " The Basin," The nest was not finished when discovered, but a week later the opening, just like a rabbit-burrow, had been deepened, and a nest made of leaves and grass placed at the end of the tunnel 2 ft. 6 in. from the entrance. When examined some time after the birds had apparently left the nest, probably owing to the fact that I had put my hand in the tunnel, although they had not resented this the first time, as the nest had. been completed afterwards. At the beginning of the year I received instructions to proceed to the Gouland Downs Sanctuary, Nelson District, to endeavour to capture kakapo and other birds for liberation on Kapiti. I did not see any kakapo, and only caught a glimpse of two of the other species, which, however, were too high up in the trees to do anything with. I was unfortunate in striking very bad weather, which may have driven the birds down on to the lower country. It rained, hailed, and snowed nearly all the time I was there, with heavy gales of wind making it unsafe to be in the bush ; but I gathered a good number of plants and seeds, some of them peculiar to that region, and returned to Wellington. After spending a fortnight's leave I journeyed to Taranaki to try and secure some North Island crows for Kapiti. Although I located the birds, I was unable to get close enough to them to catch any. 1 think this could only be done during the nesting season. As I was satisfied that it was impossible to'catch any crows at that time of the year, I gathered some dozens of puriri and karo plants and returned to Kapiti. During mv absence Mr. E. Till, of Paraparaumu, acted as caretaker. During the year a large number of plants from different parts of the Dominion were planted out on the sanctuary. Seeds and plants belonging to the island were also put out in different parts, mostly in the open places and on the cliffs. The following list shows the species brought from the Gouland Downs and Aorere Valley, Nelson : Quintinia aCutifoKa, Dracophyllum latifolium, Olearia lacunosa (and two others not yet identified), Phyllocladus alpinus, Nothofagus Menziesii, M. Solandri, Librocedrus Doniana, Alseuosmia, macrophylla, Pittosporum rigidum, Pim'elia loriqifolia, Metrosideros lucida, three species of Hebe, Celmisia spectabihs, C. Dallii, C. longifolia, C. viscosa, Podocarpus Hallii, Elaeocarpus Hookerianus, Thelymitra pulcMla , and seeds of Pittosporum Dallii. Plants brought from Taranaki: Pittosporum crassifolium,, Vilex lucens, and Bleohnum Patersom. While I was in New Plymouth I paid a flying visit to the nursery garden of Messrs. Duncan and Davies, who specialize in growing native trees.' Mr. Davies very kindly offered to let me have some of these for Kapiti. Following are the names of the plants sent by Messrs. Duncan and Davies : Phebalium nudum. Litsaea calicaris, Melicope Mantellii, Melicytus macrophyllus, Asca,rina lucida, Myrtus obcordata, M. Ralphii, M. pedunculata, and a new unnamed hybrid of the same genus, Dacrydwm Kirkii, Metrosideros villosa, Hoheria populnea, Olearia, insignis, Phyllocladus alpinus, P. glaucus, Ixerba, brexioides, Gleichenia flabellata, Dodonaea viscosa, Agathis australis, Pittosporum, umbellatum, P. Ralphn, Aristotelia colensoi, Pseudopanax ferox, P. discolor, Jovellana repens, Metrosideros diffusa, Persooma toru, Rubus parvus, Pisonia Brunoniana, Ackama rosaefolia, crimson manuka, Angelica _ monlana, Corokia Cheesemanii, Lygodium articidatum, Pimelia longifolia, Olearia oleifolia, Quintinia _ serrata, Todea barbara, Gaulthena op posit ifolia, Coprosma Kirkii, Hymenmithera dentata var. angushfoha. From Mr. R. D. Dalrymple. of Bulls. I received the following plants : Agathis australis. Cordyhne indivisa, C. pumilio, C. australis, Fusanus Cunninghamii, Hoheria Lyallii, Pittosporum umbellatum, Arthopodium cirrhatum, Metrosideros villosa, Quintinia acutifolia, Dracophyllum species, Nothopanax linare, one hybrid Panax (simplex X crassifolium), Clematis foetida, Pomaderris apetala. From Mr. R. H. D. Stidolph, Masterton, I received plants of Todea superba. From Mr. Esmond Atkinson, Wellington, I received plants of Myosolidium hortensia ; from Mr. A. Morris Jones. Wellington, plants of Todea superba, Gleichenia Cunninghamii, Alseuosmia quercifolia, Blechnum nigrum,, B. membranaceum. Mr. J. W. Murdock, Tima.ru, sent seeds of Olearia angustifoha, and Mr. Johannes C. Andersen, of Wellington, seed of Fusanus Cunninghamii. During the year several plants were found which, as far as I am aware, have not been previously recorded from Kapiti. They represented the following species: Leucopogon Fraseri, growing on northern end ; Craspedia uniftora, growing on southern end ; Melicope Mantellii, growing on Rangatira, Kahuotirangi; Carmichaelia australis, growing on north end and Maraetakaroro: SarcocMkis adversus, growing on north Te Rere : Lepidium oleraceum, growing on cliffs, western side. Mr. Morns Jones also found some plants not hitherto recorded—viz., Ganltheria antipoda, growing near waterfall, and Drimys colorata, growing in head of Taepiro Valley. , i • n the last season showed an increase in the number of visitors to the sanctuary. Early in October Lady Alice .Fergusson and party paid a four-day visit to the island. Lady Fergusson took great interest in the bird and plant life of the island. The party tramped to the summit of the island, where they had a good view of the. coast of the mainland from Terawhiti, as far north as Otaki, and the South Island "from about Tory Channel to Stephen Island. A good view of Mount Egmont was obtained On the way to the trig. Her Excellency planted a pohutukawa-tree, The party then tramped south along the western cliffs for about two miles, and down to the shore on the eastern side ol the island, anil out by the waterfall—a hard tramp even for men used to the work. At the end of October a party consisting of eight members of Parliament, accompanied by Mr. H. W. C. Mackintosh, Chairman of the Advisory Committee, paid a visit of inspection to the island. The members of Parliament were Messrs, Field, Dickie, Samuel, Elliot, J. Hamilton, Harris, Veiteli and McCombs. They were taken for a good tramp over the sanctuary, and all seemed very interested in everything they saw.