Preface to the Second Edition.

Owing to the first edition of this book being disposed of within one year of its appearance and to the many favourable reviews in scientific journals Geh. Ober-Regierungsrat Prof. Dr. A. Engler and Herr Wilhelm Engel mann invited me to prepare a second edition. This unexpected but truly welcome invitation I most willingly and gratefully accepted in the hope that the far wider knowledge of the vegetation which I had acquired since 1913 would ensure the production of a work more worthy of its great subject. Be this as it may, this edition is practically a new book, by far the larger part having been rewritten and the remainder thoroughly revised. That the making of a book so greatly changed was possible is due in large measure to my having botanically re-explored much of the Region, thanks especially to the carrying-out of plant-ecological studies at all altitudes of the tussock-grassland and forest areas for the Department of Agriculture and the State Forest Service respectively. Not only were localities visited with which I was more or less familiar but many others were examined the vegetation of which was unknown. In addition I have received important communications concerning areas previously unbotanized from Drs. H. H. Allan and W. McKay and Messrs. J. A. MacPherson, W. R. B. Oliver, G. Simpson and J. Scott Thomson (working together) and W. A. Thomson. Also during the period which has elapsed since the manuscript of the first edition was sent to the publisher (beginning of 1914 to end of 1927), as may be seen in Part I, Chapter II, much has been published in various branches of New Zealand botany and of this a good deal finds a place in the book. Here it is not feasible to mention all those who have contributed information or material including photographs but, unless by some oversight, they are cited in the body of the book, but to one and all I express my gratitude. In addition, attention must be called to my great indebtedness to my friend Dr. H. H. Allan to whom I sent for criticism all the rough manuscript as soon as it was prepared and whose advice was invaluable. Furthermore it is my pleasing duty to thank most sincerely my old friend, Prof. Dr. L. Diels, Director of the Botanical Garden and Museum of Berlin and Honorary Member of the New Zealand Institute, who is correcting the proofs of this edition — a most generous action — and so saving the waste of time entailed in their coming out to me and travelling twice round the world.