118 Transactions. 



The presence of a strong Miocene element in the fauna, on the other 

 hand, is not destructive of this position, as in the South American locali- 

 ties Wilckens emphasizes the fact that the Navidad (Miocene) fauna is the 

 descendant of the Quiriquina (Senonian) fauna, and that the Patagonian 

 Senonian contains many elements of the Patagonian Miocene. 



There is in the Wangaloa fauna, however, an important and notable 

 fact in the occurrence of 13-5 per cent, of Kecent species, and, according 

 to Hutton and to Park, a much greater percentage of Recent species at 

 Hampden. There appears to be no parallel for this in South America — 

 apparently Cardium acuticostatiim is the only Recent species in the Senonian. 



(y.) Selwyn Rapids. 



The first mention of the fossils of this locality was made by Haast.* 

 On page 68 he gives a list of species obtained from these beds. The list 

 includes Inoceramus, ConcJiothyra parasitica, Struthiolaria ? as well as many 

 other genera well represented in the Tertiary strata of New Zealand. 



Cox, in 1876-77, included these beds in the Cretaceo-Tertiary, a classi- 

 fication that was also adopted by Hector in the same year. Haast, in the 

 " Geology of Canterbury and Westland," in 1879 still includes these Selwyn 

 Rapids beds in the Waipara system, of Cretaceous age. This arrangement 

 was also followed by Hutton in 1885, and Park, in the " Geology of New 

 Zealand," 1910, also groups them as Cretaceous. 



The collection made for the Geological Survey by McKay, who recorded 

 Trigonia and Aporrhais, has been submitted to Professor Woods, who, it 

 is understood, classes them as Senonian. 



A small collection was made from these beds in January, 1915, but 

 in nearly all cases the species are too imperfect for exact identifica- 

 tion. Mr. Suter, however, says that the following genera are represented : 

 Panopea, Glycymeris, Myodora, Paphia curta?, Struthiolaria (Pelicaria) 

 (good specimen), ConcJiothyra parasitica. 



The occurrence of Struthiolaria, which was doubtfully recorded by Haast 

 but not found by McKay, is important. This genus has not elsewhere 

 been recorded in rocks older than the Miocene. It must consequently be 

 concluded either that New Zealand is the home of this genus, which de- 

 veloped here at an earlier period than in other countries, or that in New 

 Zealand the Cretaceous genera Inoceramus and Conchothyra lingered on until 

 some Miocene genera had appeared. The other Tertiary genera, though 

 very much more numerous than those of definite Cretaceous age, appear 

 to be represented in the Tertiary rocks of other countries. 



III. Conclusions. 



The following conclusions are suggested by the considerations detailed 

 in the foregoing pages :■ — 



In New Zealand there is as yet no agreement — (1) as to the division- 

 line between Cretaceous and Tertiary rocks ; (2) as to the age of the oldest 

 series of Tertiary strata. Various formations in Europe and America have 

 given rise to a similar difference of opinion. 



In California the Eocene rocks appear to be conformable to the Cretaceous. 



Various localities in the south and west of South America have formations 

 which have been assigned by Wilckens to the Cretaceous and to the Miocene, 



* N.Z. Geol. Rep., 1871-72. 



