238 Transaclions. — Geology. 



The Tertiary flora, colleeted from eight localities, as Shag 

 Point, Dunstan, Landslip Hill, Malvern Hills, Eedcliffc 

 Gully, Weka Pass, Anuiri, and Murderer's Creek, comprises 

 till now, as far as investigation could bring to light, fifty-two 

 species, which are distributed into thirty-nine genera and 

 twenty-six families. Of these species, three are Cryptogamae, 

 ■eleven Gyinuospermae, two Monocotyledons, twenty-two 

 Apetalse, three Gamopetaloe, and ten Dialypetalae. Eegarding 

 the general flora character, it by no means essentially deviates 

 from that of the hitherto known Tertiary flora. We find here 

 the same mixed character as in the Tertiary flora of Europe, 

 North America, and Australia, the analogies of which to the 

 New Zealand Tertiary species may easily be seen in the sub- 

 joined table. 



Although the Tertiary flora of New Zealand is very 

 different from the living one, yet with regard to several 

 species a close relationship is clearly indicated. Thus, 

 Aspidiuni tcrtiario-zeelandicKm and .4. novcE-zcclandia'-, Presl., 

 Dammara oiceni and D. austraUs, Lamb., Podocarpus ixirlccri 

 and P. totara, Don., Dacrydium 2:)rcBcui)res8inum and D. 

 ■cupressinnm, Sol., &c., are closely allied. Besides, several 

 genera — for instance, Fagus, Hedycarya, Santaluvi, Loran- 

 tJuis, &c. — are represented in both, whereas others seem to be 

 in a genetic relation to living ones, and the latter may in 

 some degree be transmuted from the former. Thus, Baph- 

 nophyllnm or Laurophyllmn may have turned out to be 

 NesodnpJine, likewise Apocynophyllum to Parsonsia, Aralia to 

 Schefflera, Sapindus to Alectryon, &c. On the contrary, we 

 miss in the recent (endemic) flora of New Zealand a con- 

 siderable scries of genera due to its Tertiary one : for example, 

 Loniariopsis, Sequoia, Araucaria, Seafortliia, Casuarina, 

 Myrica, Alniis, Quercus, Uhnus, Planera, Ficus, Cinna- 

 momiivi, Dryandra, Diospyros, Aralia, Acer, Sapindus, 

 Elceodcndion, kc. 



According to the precedhig statements, the principal re- 

 sults of my memoir are as follow : — 



Firstly — In New Zealand there exists a genetic relation- 

 ship between its Tertiary and its living flora. 



Secondly — The Tertiary flora of New Zealand contains 

 the elements of several floras. 



Thirdly — The Tertiary flora of New Zealand is a part of 

 that universal original flora from which all living floras of 

 the globe descend. 



Fourthly — Li New Zealand only one part of its Tertiary 

 flora has changed into its living flora ; the other has become 

 extinct. 



T proceed now to communicate a brief record on the fossil 

 plants occurring in the above-named localities. 



