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APPENDIX C. KAPITI ISLAND RESERVE. (H. W. C. Mackintosh, Commissioner of Crown Lands.) I have much pleasure in reporting that the year just closed has been an excellent one for the bird and plant life 011 Kapiti Reserve. Although in November it looked as if a dry summer were to be experienced, copious rains fell at intervals throughout that season, with the result that plants made wonderful growth and, at time of writing, are still growing. Some young trees have made a growth of as much as 2 ft. of new wood, and this growth has been maintained all over the reserve with the exception of very exposed situations and along the shore 011 the western side of the island. It is gratifying to note that even on this wind-swept part of the island there is a certain amount of regeneration taking place as a result of pohutukawa and taupata planted there and the quantities of kowhai-seed scattered on the cliffs. Manuka, flax, koromiko, akeake, and several other species are gradually working down from the top. This is a very hard place to deal with, as erosion is going on all the time and plants can be put only behind big stones or rocks along the bottom where slips coming down will not fall on them or along the top where the land is not likely to slip. At the southern end of the island taupata and pohutukawa, planted about six years ago, are doing well, and amongst these the Cook Strait koromiko and flax are prominent. Hundreds of little trees belonging to the island have been planted in this locality, and in the course of a year or two will be providing food for the birds. White-pines planted in the swamp and on different parts of the island are growing, and there must be five hundred of these trees: Some at Rangatira are 8 ft. high. The grass areas are being gradually covered with bush-trees of all descriptions, and each year shows an improvement, while the danger from fire is being further removed. Most of the tracks used twelve years ago are now practically impassable without the aid of a slasher. Amongst the manuka, too, a change is taking place. Other trees are beginning to show their tops above the manuka, and in time much of it will be crowded out. Manuka is a useful tree which provides insect-eating birds with a certain amount of food and the parrakeets and kaka with seed, but there are other trees more useful, and in any case, there is a great deal of manuka on the island. Unremitting warfare continues to be waged against vermin, and the Caretaker and his assistant have done great work in this respect, and just over one thousand rats have been killed. Opossums to the number of 428 were taken during the year. The increase of birdlife is largely due to the destruction of vermin. During the year the boat-shed was shifted and a concrete slipway laid down, enabling the Caretaker to put the boat into the shed at any stage of the tide, weather, of course, permitting. This relieves Mr. Wilkinson of a great deal of worry when the launch was 011 the moorings. The Caretaker desires me to acknowledge the assistance given to him in this matter by Messrs. K. Jones, Bennett, Hughes, Spencer and his son. Mr. Wilkinson also desires me to thank the following donors of plants and seeds : — Mr. H. Hughes, Foxton .. .. .. .. Plants. Mr. A. Ainsworth, Kilbirnie . . . . . . Plants. Mr. Newcombe, Internal Affairs Department .. Plants. Mr. Morris Jones, Kelburn .. .. .. Plants. Mr. B. C. Aston, Kelburn .. . . . . Plants. Mr. T. Hughes, Paraparaumu .. .. .. Seeds. Mr. G. Hughes, Kapiti .. .. .. .. Plants. (From Captain Sanderson's garden.) All the plants have been put out in suitable places. I desire to again place on record my high appreciation of the able and painstaking manner in which Mr. A. S. Wilkinson, the Caretaker of the reserve, carries out his duties. I append hereto extracts from Mr. Wilkinson's annual report on the reserve : — " Most of the plants on the island flowered well. There were some glorious patches of the hekatara, and I have never seen a more beautiful sight than the kaikomako when in full bloom. The rata was also lovely, and the pohutukawa, too. When these two species were in flower we saw little of our tame honey-eaters. They were all away enjoying the bounteous feast. The kohekohe had very few flowers on it last season, but shows promise of being heavily laden this time. All the trunks and branches are covered with buds, so the honey-eaters are assured of a feast later on. This is one of the most valuable trees we have, as it flowers in the winter time. The cabbage-tree hardly flowered at all. Indeed, I saw only one flower 011 these trees at Rangatira. The so-called flax (Phormium) provided a lot of food for the honey-eaters in December, but even this plant did not flower like it did two years ago. Most of the trees are now laden or have been laden with fruit. The karaka berries are finished, but these trees had more fruit on them than I have ever seen. A more beautiful sight could hardly be imagined than to see half a dozen or more native pigeons feeding on a karaka-tree loaded with the lovely golden berries. The hinau, with its snow-white flowers like a lily-of-the-valley, is another tree that presents a beautiful picture to the nature-lover. And the tawa —a handsome tree at any time, though the flowers, like many of our natives, are insignificant—becomes more beautiful when loaded as it was with fruit resembling a small diamond plum, amongst which the pigeons were feeding. Some of the more conspicuous of the trees loaded with fruit at the present time are miro, matai, hinau, ngaio, titoki, houhou, horoeka, toru, matipo, kaikomako, mahoe, and nikau. The summer just ended has been the best season for the birds since we came here just on fourteen years ago. All species have done well. Most of those around our home that we know personally

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