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On reaching the main part of Chalky Inlet, I next struck up Cunaris Sound, keeping along the north shore, which is composed of gneiss and clay slate dipping at 20 degrees to the E. by N., the stratification being unusually distinct. Towards the head of Cunaris Sound there is a small extent of flat, though of course thickly wooded land between the base of the mountains in the north and the water’s edge, there being about 15,000 acres that may be adapted for cultivation. Cunaris Sound terminates in two heads separated by a sloping rocky promontory. A river thirty yards wide falls into the northmost of these, and it is evidently subjected to great floods, as the shoal off its mouth is strewn with drifted trees of large size. Grey teal, and the blue mountain or rapid duck, were very plentiful here; there were also large flocks of the red bill or oyster catcher, feeding on the cockles and small mussles that are laid bare at low water.

Woodhens were very numerous here as elsewhere round the shores. There appear to be two varieties of them: one large and of a reddish brown color, is the same as that on the east coast, and is found in the woods principally. The other is considerably smaller and of a dark brown, or almost black color, and is generally seen feeding round the sea margin. We encamped on the east side of the river, but pitched our tents some distance back in the woods to escape the sand-flies, which had been more than usually troublesome all day—a sure precursor of bad weather. During the night the kakapos and both the small and large kiwis were calling close round our fire, but all my attempts to get a shot at them were ineffectual, as it is necessary to have a good dog to capture them.

Heavy rain commenced to fall during the night, and continued all next day, the wind coming in violent gusts from the westward, but at the same time blowing up the Sound steadily. The wind near the entrance of the Sound, I afterwards heard, having been at this time from the south-east.

A gravelly flat extends up the valley of this stream for the distance of a mile, but the land is poor and stony, and subject to inundation. It is, however, covered with an evergreen thicket of veronicas, curylas, and other shrubs, some of which were in flower. The gravel is principally of fragments of gneiss and silicious slate, containing only a small admixture of quartz pebbles, and, from its appearance, gives no promise of being auriferous. It would be, however, impossible to reach the bottom of the deposit on account of its slight elevation above the tide mark.

Passing round a headland composed of fine grained hornblendic gneiss speckled with grains of dark granite, I followed up Cliff Cove, the eastern arm of Cunaris Sound, which is narrow, winding among rocky islands and terminating in a chain of tidal basins over a mile in length, which are not laid down on the charts, the entrance to them having escaped observation. It was low water, and besides ducks and sea fowl there were a number of the dark colored woodhens on the mud flats feeding on shell fish.

From the head of these basins a walk of 400 yards through the woods brought me out on the shore of Preservation Inlet in Last Cove, about seven miles from its upper extremity. This neck of land is quite low, but bounded on both sides by lofty and precipitous mountains.

The torrents which descend from these flow into Preservation Inlet, and accordingly add to the eastern side of the isthmus by the quantity of sub-angular fragments of rock which they bring down. The dense growth of the forest which covers the rocky slopes, even when nearly perpendicular, tends to break up the rock very rapidly, as the roots have rarely any other hold than by inserting themselves into the crevices; and as they increase in growth, they break off fragments of all sizes, and form accumulations in the bottoms of the valleys that might be mistaken sometimes for moraines.

The absence of the characteristic terraces which mark the existence of a “col,” or ancient strait, was a further proof that the coast line here is not rising, as in a situation like this they could hardly fail to be procured.

We tried to pull down the Sound in the afternoon, hoping to reach the Southport that night, the distance being 14 miles; but the wind and sea against us were too violent, so that we crossed to the west shore of the Sound, where we encamped for the night. The rain had been incessant all day, so that we were quite wet through, but it did not feel very cold, and the men were remarking how differently they would feel similarly exposed on the East Coast of the Province.

The storm continued during the night, but lulled at daylight, so that, starting at once, we got back to the yacht at noon on the 24th.

With a strongly manned boat, on the 25th, I again attempted to examine the Red Head Cliffs, as there appeared to be less swell on the sea than previously. I, however, only succeeded in landing at one place and found the rock, which there forms a breastwork on the most exposed part of the island, to be dense granite, containing large crystals of felspar of a beautiful flesh-red color. There being a light north-west breeze and fine weather on the 26th, we sailed round to Preservation Inlet. Notwithstanding the light wind, the swell was running very high, and the Balleny Reef was marked by towering wreaths of spray. We had a fine view of the cliffs of Chalky Island, which are composed of soft sandy strata that dip to the S.W. at a low angle. They are very ruinous, being rapidly undermined by the sea. The surface of the