824 Transactions. — Geology. 



may be said that I have given more opinions than facts ; the 

 opinions, however, are based upon facts, and I desired to make 

 my paper suggestive rather than descriptive, to provoke further 

 inquiry into the record of a severe, if not truly glacial, climatic 

 period, which will well repay further examination. 



Appendix. 



lUead 6th November, 1S90.] 



In the " Handbook of New Zealand Mines," 1887, page 69, 

 a short account is given, from the pen of Mr. Gordon, of large 

 deposits of auriferous quartz-drift, with leaf-beds and silicified 

 trees, in the St. Bathan's district. Central Otago. The same 

 deposit is referred to as richly auriferous in the " Eeport on 

 Goldfields," Sec, presented to Parliament this year, pp. 76, 79, 

 and 82. From these descriptions I think this drift must be 

 related, chronologically and in the manner of its production, 

 to the quartz sands and grits on the Tengawai and Hare, de- 

 scribed in tliis paper as produced during the prevalence of a 

 frostless climate in the period succeeding the upheaval of the 

 Pareora marine-beds into dry land. I do not know whether 

 the interior of Otago was submerged by the Pareora sea ; if 

 not, then the longer time was given for the production of the 

 quartz-drift. The drift has been much disturbed. A question 

 is, When did the disturbance take place ? Was it contempo- 

 raneous with the disturbances and volcanic eruptions in South 

 Canterbury which occurred during the interglacial period ? 



Art. XXXI. — On the Timaru Loess as a Climate Register. 



By J, H.^EDCASTLE, 



Read before tlie Philosophical Institute of Canterburij, 2nd October, 



1890.] 



In a paper submitted to tliis Socio-ty a few months ago I had 

 the honour to offer what I hoped would pi'ove a useful pro- 

 \-isional reading of the earlier of the recent geological forma- 

 tions of South Canterbury, viewed as records of climatic 

 changes. The point then reached was the close of the 

 interglacial period. I now propose to continue the reading, 

 from materials provided by the second great cold age, the 

 chief among them for its instructiveness being the loess of 

 Timaru. 



In a paper read last session, and published in the Trans- 



