Hill. — Description of a Scapliites. 887 



Ruapehu — the highest point of elevation in the North Island ; 

 and although this district is separated by the Ruahine chain of 

 mountains, and other minor ranges, from what may be termed 

 the zone of active volcanic phenomena, as represented by hot 

 springs, solfataras, geysers, and burning mountains, it is 

 certainly not outside the zone of volcanic influences, the effects 

 of which may be seen at any time along the East Coast, A 

 recurrence of activity in and about the district of which Lake 

 Taupo is the natural centre, would undoubtedly bring showers 

 of volcanic dust and debris as far as Napier, should the wind be 

 blowing in this direction at the time ; but I cannot agree with 

 those who say that such showers would be detrimental to vege- 

 tation. They may cause temporary inconvenience, but of their 

 beneficial effects in the production and formation of soils I 

 think there can be no question for a doubt. To me, volcanic 

 dust showers are blessings in disguise. They may cause loss 

 and inconvenience at the time of their deposition ; but they 

 contain within their particles the elements of fertility, and only 

 need, like wine, age to make them valuable adjuncts in the 

 formation of rich soils. 



Art. L. — A Description of a Scaphites, found near Cape 



Turnagain. 



By H. Hill, B.A. 

 [Read before the Hawkers Bay Philosophical Institute, 11th October, 1886.] 



On paying a visit to Wainui, a small township near Cape Turn- 

 again, a short time ago, I found awaiting me at the schoolhouse 

 a fossil, which had been sent there by Mr. John Fallahe, a 

 settler residing in that district. He stated that the fossil had 

 been found by a person named James Busby, in the bed of the 

 Wainui Stream, about 10 or 11 miles from its mouth, and that 

 it was thought to be, by those who had seen it, a fossil lizard. 

 Indeed, it was so described to me by a gentleman in Porongahau 

 several days before I had the opportunity of seeing the speci- 

 men. The end of the outer whorl of the fossil has the appearance 

 of a lizard's head, and the inner whorls resemble somewhat the 

 body and tail of the Hippocampus brevirostris, or Sea-horse, 

 which is to be found in most places along the New Zealand 

 coasts after heavy storms. The specimen, however, though 

 having a great likeness to a vertebrated animal, is merely the 

 cast of a shell belonging to the genus Scaphites, a genus closely 

 allied to the fossil Ammonites, which had their chief development 

 towards the close of the mesozoic period. 



