Excerpt from Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute, 1912, Vol. 44 Through the lamented death of Sir Joseph Hooker, the greatest of British botanists, the New Zealand Institute has lost not only the most illustrious and revered of its honorary members, but one whose hand has laid an impress on New Zealand science never to be effaced. Hooker's connection with New Zealand botany commenced so long ago as the early summer of 1840, when, as naturalist to the famous Antarctic Expedition under Sir James Ross, he explored botanically the Auckland and Campbell Islands. How thoroughly this work was conducted is evidenced by the fact that, notwithstanding subsequent visits of several experienced botanists and one well-equipped scientific expedition, only twenty-five additions, many of which are doubtless extremely local, have been made to Hooker's original list of 124 species of vascular plants. As for the lower cryptogams (277 species), they remain virtually as they were. Three months (August-November) of the succeeding year were spent by Hooker at the Bay of Islands, where he made a collection of about three hundred species, and gained at the same time a first-hand acquaintance with a portion of the New Zealand flora proper. Perhaps even more important was his meeting Colenso, who, through contact with the brilliant young botanist, was stirred up to that life-long enthusiastic devotion to science which yielded such valuable results. Immediately on the return of the Ross Expedition Hooker commenced the study of his collections, and, notwithstanding their magnitude, the first volume of the magnificent "Flora Antarctica," devoted to the New Zealand Subantarctic Islands, appeared in 1844, and marked the commencement of a new epoch in New Zealand botany. The years 1853 to 1855 saw the publication of the "Flora Novae-Zelandiae," a quarto work in two volumes similar to the "Flora Antarctica," consisting of 729 pages and 130 coloured plates. In this and the last-mentioned work the species are not merely described, but their affinities and geographical distribution most thoroughly considered. Further, the essay on the New Zealand flora which formed an introduction to the "Flora Novae-Zelandiae" is a phytogeographic classic of the highest excellence. Written presumably to educate the colonial collector and to stimulate botanical research in the new colony, it deals in a most searching manner with the origin and affinities of the flora, and as a contribution to philosophical plant-geography has never been excelled in its admirable marshalling of the facts, clearness of style, moderation of tone, and carefully balanced conclusions. Another portion of the essay, treating of the limits of species, their dispersion and variation, is full of matter interesting even yet to a present-day student of evolution. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.