Wellington Philosophical Society. 85 



of papers in the Quar. Jour. Geol. Soc, the Trans. N.Z. Inst., and the Reports of 

 the N.Z. Geological Survey. Hutton, on the one side, in accordance with his theory 

 of unconformity, described the Weka Pass stone, an argillaceous limestone, glauco- 

 nitic near the base, as resting, without change of dip, on a broken and fissured 

 surface of Amuri limestone, and containing rounded pebbles of Amuri limestone 

 within 6 in. of the junction, but not higher. On the other side, Hector and McKay, 

 contending for conformity, pointed out the constant, shattered character of the Amuri 

 limestone throughout its thickness, and explained the rounded pieces of limestone 

 as concretions. There seemed no sufficient reason to regard the junction as uncon- 

 formable, but, in view of the importance of the sequence at Waipara and Weka Pass 

 in New Zealand geology, a satisfactory explanation of its peculiar character would 

 be welcome. 



6. " Description of a Multiple Rainbow," by G. L. Adkin. 



Abstract. 



In the clear atmosphere of mountain regions optical atmospheric phenomena such 

 as sunset glows, rainbows, and halos frequently attain a brilliancy and degree ot 

 splendour seldom seen from stations at lower levels. The multiple rainbow seen on 

 the 4th January, 1911, from the summit of Mount Waiopehu, 3,588 ft. (a peak on 

 the western slope of the Tararua Ranges), is a case in point. Looking westward 

 on the occasion referred to, the state of the atmosphere was such that Mount Egmont, 

 120 miles away, and the details — inlets, capes, islands, and hills — of the Marlborough 

 Sounds, eighty miles distant, were remarkably clear and distinct. 



The rainbow made its appearance at 5 p.m. The sun was low down in the 

 western sky when a small, isolated rain-shower drove up from the south, swept 

 across the summit of the mountain, and travelled rapidly northward, there furnish- 

 ing the watery "curtain" necessary for the production of the bow. On account of 

 the local character of the shower, only a portion of the arch became visible ; never- 

 theless, its unusual breadth and brilliancy made it a very noticeable object. 



The rainbow consisted of four parts — (1) the primary bow; (2) the secondary 

 bow ; (3) the supernumerary bow, situated on the inside of the primary, and con- 

 sisting of the three outside colour-bands of the latter — i.e., red, yellow, and green — 

 three times repeated ; and (4) the reflection of the supernumerary bow — a red glow 

 situated on the outside of the secondary bow. The primary and supernumerary 

 bows formed a continuous series of colour-bands, the repetition of the colours giving 

 the whole a corrugated appearance. 



7. " Notes on Life-history and Habits of some New Zealand Lepi- 

 doptera," by R. M. Sunley. 



8. " Radio-activity of Thermal Waters of New Zealand," by Dr. 

 J. S. Maclaurin. 



9. " Radio-activity of Sea-water," by Dr. J. S. Maclaurin. 



10. " Notes on New Zealand Lepidoptera, w y ith Lists of New Localities 

 and Observations on the Variations noted in certain Species," by A. 

 Hamilton. 



11. " Note on the Composition of Nitric Acid," by H. Fathers; com- 

 municated by Professor Easterfleld. 



12. " On the Use of Phosphorus and Phosphoric Acids for Cryoscopic 

 Determinations," by G. Pulton; communicated by Professor Easterfleld. 



13. " Totarol," by J. C. McDowell; communicated by Professor 

 Easterfleld. 



14. " The Genotypes of Clavigera, Eastilligera, and Psioidea," by 

 J. Allan Thomson. 



15. " Descriptions of New Species of Lepidoptera,' " by E. Meyrick. 



16. " A Revision of the Caradrinina," by E. Meyrick. 



17. "Wellington Physiography," by C. A. Cotton. 



18. " On the Chemistry of Bush Disease," by B. C. Aston. 



19. " Seismographical Records of Earthquakes in New Zealand, 

 1906-1911," by G. Hogben. 



20. " The Phases of Manganic Sulphate," by G. H. Robertson; com- 

 municated by Professor Easterfleld. 



