Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XII.djvu/424

primary sandstone, and limestone. The rocks contain sulphur, alum, manganese, obsidian, iron, copper, silver, gold, and other minerals. In the limestone districts are extensive caverns. Hot and cold springs, impregnated with sulphur, iron, and silicious matter, abound. In South island the lower rocks are clay and metamorphic schists, intersected by dikes of greenstone, with compact and amygdaloidal basalt. The plains are composed of clayey loam, and beds of coal and lignite are known to exist. Gold, iron, and coal abound, and copper, lead, tin, and petroleum are found. Iron sand, or steel, as the natives call it, is found near New Plymouth on the W. coast of South island, soft to the touch, but almost as heavy as iron, from which it is said 75 per cent, of pure metal has been extracted. Earthquakes are very frequent in New Zealand. Cook's strait is the centre of the earthquake region. The shocks are not violent. Throughout the group there appears to be a gradual rising of the land, so that in Cook's strait rocks have appeared where none were visible when the country was first discovered, and at Port Nicholson the land has risen several feet since 1848. "New Zealand," says Dr. Thomson, "is an admirable geological school; there travellers may see the form of Vesuvius, the dome-shaped summits of Auvergne, the elevated craters of the Caracas, and the geysers of Iceland. Taupo, Tongariro, Rotomahana, Rotorua, and "White island are almost unrivalled geological curiosities. Above the entombed village of Te Rapa, on the border of the Taupo lake, basaltic rocks may be seen in the process of conversion into soft clay by heat and chemical action; where the Tongariro river falls into the lake, travellers may observe how rapidly pumice stone and other deposits are lessening the size of this inland sea. Grand and beautiful geysers ejecting water 2 above the boiling point, and holding various silicates in solution, are found around the lakes of Rotomahana and Rotorua. This water on cooling incrusts every substance it comes in contact with, and birds thrown into it are brought out like pieces of flint." (See GEYSER.) The flora of New Zealand is as remarkable as its geology. It is characterized by the comparatively large number of trees and ferns, the paucity of herbaceous plants, and the almost total want of annuals. There are 120 species of indigenous trees, and more than 3,000 species of plants, of which over 500 species of flowering plants are peculiar to the country. The coniferæ are the most conspicuous natural order, although with comparatively few species. Almost all the trees are evergreens, and the change of seasons consequently makes little difference in the appearance of the forests. The most remarkable tree is the kauri pine, which is found only in the N. part of North island. It grows to great size, often to a circumference of 40 ft., rising to the height of 90 ft. without a branch. From the lightness and toughness of the stem it is well adapted for masts. It produces abundantly a gum which becomes very valuable after lying long buried in the earth; it is dug up on the site of ancient forests, and is a considerable article of commerce. The totara pine equals the kauri in size and commercial value; and the puriri, of the same botanical order as the teak, rivals the English oak in hardness, and has a girth of 20 ft. One palm tree, the areca sapida, grows in New Zealand. The abundant fern roots of the country formerly supplied the aborigines with food, as did also the tender shoots of the palm. From the poisonous tutu berries they expressed a wholesome and refreshing drink. The trunks of the kauri and totara pines served for canoes, and the tough ti tree furnished paddles and spears. But the main reliance of the natives was on flax, which was used for building and thatching huts, and of which they made sails, nets, fishing tackle, plates, ropes, baskets, medicine, and the chief part of their clothing. Thirteen species of sea mammalia are found on the coasts, viz., eight whales, two dolphins, and three seals. Dogs and rats were the only native quadrupeds when the islands were first visited by Europeans. The native rats have been nearly destroyed by the Norway rat, introduced by the English settlers; and the native dogs are now extinct, no care having been taken to preserve them after the introduction of swine, which took their place as food for the natives. New Zealand has 133 species of birds, most of which have plumage of dull colors. Of the falcon family there are two species: the kaku, about the size of a pigeon, and the karewarewa, an active sparrow hawk. The only species of owl is called by the natives ku-ku or ru-ru, and by the settlers "more pork," because its cry resembles these words. The huia, about the size of a blackbird, has four long tail feathers tipped with white, which are worn by the natives as ornaments for the head. The tui, a dark-colored bird of the honey sucker family, is called the parson by the Europeans from two snow-white feathers which hang under the chin like a clergyman's bands; it is also called the mocking bird from its powers of imitation. It is one of the most common birds in the country. Another honeysucker, called kokoromaka by the natives and bell bird by the settlers, is about the size of a sparrow, with a long beak, and is a famous songster. There is one species of crow, a small, timid, and thievish bird. The parrot family is abundant, and has five species, three of which are small green birds with different colored heads. The kaka is a large brown parrot, great numbers of which assemble at sunrise and sunset on berry-bearing trees, uttering discordant screams, which among the natives serve as signals for the beginning and end of the day's labor. The kakapo, or night parrot, is a very remarkable species, about the size of a common fowl. There is one species of pigeon, a large, stupid bird, very numerous and much used for food. The