In the Ohaupo locality, Sporadanthus is seldom found near the margin of the swamp; but toward the centre, where there is a great depth of peat which affords ample room for its creeping rhizomes and long stringy roots, it occurs in immense abundance, often covering hundreds of acres to the exclusion of almost all other vegetation. Mr. J. Stewart, C.E., informs me that the workmen engaged in constructing the railway dreaded to encounter it, as its thick matted roots not only made it difficult to open out the drains, but were also a sure sign of a bad part in the swamp. In habit it is quite peculiar, and very distinct from any other New Zealand plant. Single clumps, with the stiff, erect stems bare at the base, but branched above, the branches all terminated with brown panicles, and gently drooping outward at the tips, are by no means devoid of elegance; but when seen covering large areas its general appearance is dreary and monotonous. The discovery of Sporadanthus in New Zealand proper, taken in connection with the fact that Myosotidium (or the Chatham Island Lily, as it is absurdly called by our gardeners) is known to occur on the Snares, has deprived the Chatham Island Florula of any claim to an endemic genus; and brings into still greater prominence the relationship existing between its vegetation and that of New Zealand; a relationship so close that hardly a dozen species out of the 200 known to inhabit the group are specifically distinct from New Zealand plants.

Art. XLIX.—A short Sketch of the Flora of the Province of Canterbury, with Catalogue of Species. —By J. B. Armstrong. [Read before the Philosophical Institute of Canterbury, 2nd October, 1879.] This short essay is intended as an introduction to the botany of that portion of New Zealand included within the boundaries of the Provincial District of Canterbury. For the purposes of botanical demonstration, the Province may be conveniently divided into four districts, each differing considerably in its floral features from the others. These are— 1. The Littoral District. 2. The Banks' Peninsula District. 3. The Lowland, or Middle District. 4. The Alpine District. The Littoral District extends along the coast, and inland about a mile and a half, usually ceasing when the land attains an altitude of twenty or twenty-five feet above the sea level. This district is composed of sand-hills