HuTTON. — The Geological History of New Zealand. 181 



north-west there was the Continent of AustraHa, with vast 

 mountain-ranges covered with snow, and with gk\ciers ghttern 

 ing m every valley. 



This state of things lasted into the Permian period, by 

 which time the bed of the ocean had been gradually raised, 

 so that the sea became shallow, and the New Zealand area 

 lay near the sJiore-line of a continent stretching away towards 

 Tasmania and Australia, to which, perhaps, it was joined. 

 This land was covered with ferns and Cycads, and probably 

 there were a number of active volcanoes ejecting rhyolitic 

 lavas. But what animals lived on the land we do not, as yet, 

 know. 



In the middle of the Jurassic period came a violent up- 

 heaval. The rocks were crumpled up, the coast-line was 

 changed iuto a mountain-range, and the land between it and 

 Australia sank, forming the Tasman Sea. The new land, 

 which we may now call New Zealand, for it has never since 

 been entirely covered by the sea, extended in a westerly 

 direction to at least twice its present breadth, and to the 

 north it joined New Caledonia and New Guinea, which at 

 that time probably formed part of a South Pacific continent. 

 Plants and animals — including snails, worms, and insects, 

 but no birds — came trooping down from the north to form the 

 basis of our flora and fauna. 



A long period followed, in which the western side of the 

 mountains of the South Island were constantly being worn 

 away by the heavy rains brought by cyclones sweeping over 

 the Tasman Sea ; but this did not take place to so great an 

 extent in the north, for in those latitudes westerly winds are 

 not so prevalent. 



In the Upper Cretaceous the land subsided, and New 

 Zealand was reduced to comparatively small limits. This 

 laiid, however, supported many angiospermous trees, as well 

 as gymnosperms, whose descendants are still living ; while in 

 our seas were marine reptiles and shells which have long 

 since become extinct. 



A little before the commencement of the Tertiary era the 

 rocks were folded once more, the land rose again, and again 

 it stretched far away to the north, but was not again united 

 to New Guinea nor to northern Australia. A second invasion 

 from the north followed, and quantities of plants of all de- 

 scriptions, accompanied by animals — among which were 

 many land-birds — migrated into New Zealand, and it is the 

 descendants of this Eocene invasion which form the greater 

 part of our present flora and fauna. 



This was the last folding of rocks in New Zealand on an 

 extensive scale, for all the younger rocks usually lie in the 

 same position in which they were originally deposited, and 



