McKay. — On the Waihao Greensands. 437 



any of the beds forming Mount Harris, and seems to think that 

 most characteristic greensands may, through a vertical thickness 

 of 200 feet, alter to beds of a totally diverse character in the 

 horizontal distance of a few feet ; and, amazed at the difficulties 

 that beset his own explanation of the sequence, marvels that I 

 could not discover the like from my point of view. Yet, regard- 

 less of what may follow, he decides that there is no proof of the 

 greensands underlying the limestone ; and, dismissing this part 

 of his subject, is satisfied that the palffiontological evidence is 

 less unsatisfactory. This would indeed seem to be the case. 



According to Hutton's lists of fossils, the palteontological 

 evidence is to all appearances decisive. Sixteen species of 

 Mollusca are known ; all of them said to have come from 

 the Waihao greensands : the collections of 1867-68, named 

 by him in 1876 ; and collections (of latter date ?) now in the 

 Canterbury Museum, 8 more, making 24 in all. Twenty-four, 

 it would appear, then, are known to him, and in the Canter- 

 bury Museum ; yet only 16 species are now cited by him — what of 

 the remaining 8 species ? They were sent by v. Haast to the 

 Otago Museum and named by Prof. Hutton in 1876. They are 

 cited as fossils of the " Waihao" in the " Geology of Canterbury 

 and Westland," and now they are not ! What has become of 

 them ? Lost ? No ; for their record remains. But we have 16 

 left, the 16 that now constitute the fauna of the Waihao green- 

 sands. What of them ? They have all been found in the 

 Pareora formation : 9 of them have never been collected from 

 beds of greater age, and 5 of them are actually living forms. 

 Of the 16 species from the Waihao greensands, 9, or nearly 

 67 per cent, are unknown as coming from the Oamaru forma- 

 tion, and 60 per cent, are in like case, taking the Pareora 

 formation as a whole ; therefore the Waihao greensands are 

 typical Pareora beds ; and there is no need to inquire how 

 their fossils stand related to those found in the neighbouring 

 Mount Harris beds. The stratigraphy has been wrongly read 

 hitherto, is difficult of decipherment, and at best obscure. 



If we admit all these premises, there can be no doubt, 

 identifying myself with the stratigraphists, that ours is a des= 

 perate case ; at least, it looks so on paper — hardly so bad along 

 the banks of the Waihao. 



Last June I paid a short visit to the Waihao, and first 

 examined the section at the Waihao Forks, south to the lime- 

 stone scarp. I could not avoid the conclusion that the green- 

 sands dipped south and passed under the limestone. I followed 

 up the first creek below the junction, and in the west branch of 

 that found it had cut through the limestone and exposed the 

 greensands. I tried the middle branch with the like success, 

 and that to the east with the same result. I examined the 

 south bank of the river more to the east, and, opposite the 



