The seasons are not very distinctly marked. At Wellington the fair season commences in the middle of December, and continues to the middle of April. After the middle of April the weather is more vatiable, the winds increase in force, and the showers are heavier and last longer. The air becomes chilly. This weather continues to tho beginning of July, when the bed or tempestuous season begins. Heavy rains occur almost daily, and sometimes they continue fur many days together : the wind is almost n constant gale, and often blows with the strength of a hurricane. At Auckland the fair season lasts from October to April and .eveu May. It is regularly interrupted by the heavy rains which occur at the full and chaugo of the moon, attended by gales, and irregularly by squalls and showers. During the remainder of the year showers are frequent, and the westerly wiuds blow with considerable force. In December and January regular land and sea breezes are experienced. The sea-breeze sets iu from the north-east in the forenoon, and veers to the south in the evening. Thunder storms are frequent iu August, and are sometimes heavy. Earthquakes have been experienced at several places, but the shocks have always been slight, and have caused no damage.
Two plants were cultivated by the natives at the time of the arrival of the Europeans, the taro (Caladium esculentuat) and the kumera, or sweet potato (Convolvulas batata). Among the fruit-trees the most remarkable is the Areca sapida, of which the undeveloped plaited leaves or the heart are eaten, and the leaves are used iu roofing the houses. The leaves of the Piper excels-um are used as tea. Some shrubs bear berries, which are much liked by the natives, especially the Solanuin lacinialum and tho elderberry-tree (Coriaria sarmentosa), whose leaves however contain an acrid poison, which produces violent symptoms if eaten by cattle.
The greater portion of the island is still covered with forests. There is a great variety of trees, and perhaps in no part of the globe do they attain a larger size and exhibit a more luxuriant vegetation, which is to be attributed to the humidity of the atmosphere. There are various kinds of Cant/clue, and they produce the moat valuable timber. One, peculiar to New Zealand, is the kauri (Agathis Australis), whose timber is so highly prized that it was one of the greatest induce ments to Europeans to visit the island. It is however only found on the northern peninsula. There are numerous other useful timber trees, but the quantity of timber exported from New Zealaud is not large.
The other kinds of plants requiring notice are—the ferns, the Phormium tenax, and the raupu. There are ninety-four species of ferns in the island, and some attain the size of trees. The Cyathea dealbata, the highest, is sometimes forty feet in length. One species, the Pteris esculenta, has a root which was formerly much used as food by the natives; but since the cultivation of several other plants has been introduced by Europeans, it is only used to feed pigs, which quickly fatten on it. The Phormium tenax, or flax, covers many
extensive plains; it grows on mountains and in swamps. It was for merly used by the natives to make clothing, and considerable quantities of flax obtained from it were exported; but since the demand for pro visions by the vessels which visit the island has increased the value of labour, the natives have produced much less of this article for the market. Many swamps are overgrown with a kind of bulrush called ranpu (T,ypha angustifolia), which is a useful building material for the natives, who make the walls and roofs of their houses of them, tying them together in bundles with a climbing fern.
The most important of the plants introduced by Europeans is the potato, which is extensively used by the natives, partly for food and partly for exportation: most vessels that touch at the island take large quantities of them. Maize, or Indian corn, was introduced early, and in the northern district forms a considerable article of export. Wheat was introduced by the missionaries more than twenty years ago, and its cultivation has spread rapidly. Turnips are very extensively cultivated : they are dried in the oven, wind, or sun, and they keep for a long time. The other vegetables are pumpkins, shallots, onions, garlic, beet-root, endive, celery, leeks, puralain, radishes, Spanish radish, Spanish onions, cabbages, brocoli, artichokes, cucumbers, capsicums, Chili pepper, and mustard. The fruit-trees of Europe have also been planted, and moat of them succeed very well, especially in the northern districts, as pomegranates, figs, quinces, nectarioes, peaches, apples, pears, vines, olives, raspberries, strawberries, and Cape gooseberries. Some attempts have been made to introduce the fruits of India, but withont success. The bananas and mango-trees do not flower. Tobacco is es:titivated at several places by the natives for their own consump tion, and the sugar-cane succeeds very well at Hokianga.
The dog, a smaller variety of the Australian dingo, existed here at the arrival of the Europeans, and is still, though rarely, met with, as almost the whole race of the island has become a mongrel breed. This was the only domestic animal at that time. The white settlers have introduced the horse, cow, ass, sheep, and pig. Pigs are very numerous; they are easily fed and fattened on the fern-root. The other animals, though not yet numerous, succeed well, particularly sheep. A considerable amount of wool (about 700,000 lbs. in 1853) is exported to Great Britain. No wild animals are found, with the exception of a kind of bat, called lifystaeina tubereulata by Gray. Formerly a native rat, which was eaten by the aborigines, was very common, but it has been nearly exterminated by the European rat, and is now only found on the table-land of Rotuma.