Marshall axd Murdoch. — Fossils from Paparoa Rapids. 



85 



Art. XI. — Fossils from the Paparoa Rapids, on the Wanganui River. 



By P. Marshall, M.A., D.Sc, F.N.Z.Inst., Hector and Hutton Medallist, 



and E. Murdoch. 



[Read before the Wanganui Philosophical Society, 25th October, 1920 ; received by Editor, 

 31st December, 1920 ; issued separately, 27th June, 1921.] 



No complete collection of fossils has yet been recorded from the strata 

 that crop out along the course of the Wanganui River. For the most 

 part the strata contain but few fossils, and in those localities where organic 

 remains are abundant the material in which they are embedded is pebbly, 

 or it has a concretionary nature, which makes it difficult to extract the 

 fossils in a condition that allows of exact identification. The most pro- 

 mising locality that is known at present is probably that of the Paparoa 

 Rapids, some twenty miles below Taumarunui. Park* was the first 

 geologist to make any collections here, and he recognized some thirty 

 species, the nature of which seemed to show that the strata were of a 

 distinctly lower horizon than any that he found on the coast between 

 Wanganui and Patea. A visit was paid by one of us to the locality in 

 January, 1920, with the object of making as complete a collection as time 

 and circumstances would allow. Two days were spent there, but the 

 collection that was made did not contain a very large number of species. 

 At the Paparoa Rapids the strata on the right bank of the river are almost 

 horizontal, but on the left bank they have been disturbed by an extensive 

 slip, and have locally a high easterly dip. The fossil-bearing rock is a 

 fine, hard, bluish-grey sandstone, slightly concretionary in its nature, and 

 large fossil shells are very conspicuous in it. The actual material of the 

 sands is such as might well be derived from the rocks of Maitai age, of 

 which the main mountain-ranges of the North Island are composed. 



The following is a list of the species which were collected, the Recent 

 species being marked with an asterisk. 



Ancilla sp. ; apex only 



*Calyptraea novae-zelandiae Less. 



Chione acuminata Hutt. 

 *Chione yatei (Gray) 



Cominella aff. intermedia Sut. 



Conus sp. ; a fragment only 



Corbula pumila Hutt. 



Crassatellites attenuatus (Hutt.) 



Crassatellites trailli (Hutt.) 



Crepidula gregaria Sow. 



Cueullaea worthingtoni Hutt. 



Cytherea ensyi Hutt. 



Dentalium solidum Hutt. 

 *Divaricella cumingi (Ad. & Aug.) 

 *Dosinia anus (Phil.) 

 *Dosinia subrosea (Gray) 



Epitonium lyratum (Zitt.) 



Glycymeris cordata (Hutt.) 



Glycymeris subglobosa Sut. 



Limopsis zitteli Iher. 



Luponia aff. ovulatella Tate 

 *Mactra scalpellum Reeve 



Natica (Polinices) gibbosus Hutt 



Pa nope worthingtoni Hutt. 



Paphia curta (Hutt.) 

 *Pecten convexus Q. & G. 



Pecten hidtoni (Park) 



Struthiolaria cincta Hutt. 



Surcula aff. fusiformis (Hutt.) 



Turbo aff. superbus Zitt. 



Turritella semiconcava Sut. 



Verconella nodosa var. ; not Recent 



Verconella aff. dilatala 

 only 



Voluta sp. ; not Recent 



fragment 



* J. Park, Rep. Geol. Explor. during 1886-87. p. 173, 1887. 



