Hardcastle. — The Timaru Loess as a Climate Register. 325 



actions/'^ the conclusion was stated that the loess is an ^olian 

 deposit, a heap of wind-borne dust, the dust being rock-meal 

 wind-swept from areas of lowlands overflowed by rivers 

 charged with glacier silt. This conclusion, I learn, has been 

 adversely criticized by those well able to judge of the value of 

 the facts and arguments stated in support of it, and, as the 

 value of any reading of the characters contained in the loess 

 depends upon the origin of the formation being correctly ascer- 

 tained and admitted, I have looked over my paper to see 

 where lies the error or weakness of my presentment of facts 

 which in nature permit of no doubt that the loess is iEolian. 

 I find that of the several characters described there is one, 

 iind it may be only one, which as far as I can see is quite in- 

 consistent with any other theory, and unfortunately very little 

 stress was laid upon this character. It is, however, twice 

 briefly mentioned. It is stated in that paper f that the bands 

 marking pauses in the process of deposition "curve in the 

 spurs so as to be roughlj^ parallel with the present land-sur- 

 face ; " and, further,]; that these bauds " are all flat or curved 

 with definite relation to the present drainage-lines. "§ I 

 cannot but think that, had special attention been drawn to 

 this feature, the result must have been to disarm adverse 

 criticism of the " dust-heap theory." Not having done this 

 before, I must take tliis opportunity of remedying the de- 

 fect. 



Every detail of the loess of Timaru emphatically denies 

 that it is of marine origin. But if it existed under ditferent 

 topographical conditions most of the details might be held to 

 be consistent with the "inundation" theories which have 

 been proposed to account for loess deposits in Europe. By no 

 •exercise of the imagination, however, after as full an appeal to 

 nature fcr inspiration as possible, can I conceive how, bj' any 

 form of aqueous agency, each distinguishable layer could have 

 been deposited upon the previous one in such a manner as 

 to preserve the drainage-lines. Here the lines of surface- 

 drainage, small and great, have been preserved throughout 

 the process of deposition. Where there are rounded ridges or 

 flattened ridges between gullies and hollows now, there have 

 been rounded ridges aud flattened ridges from the first. The 

 liollows have not been carved out of a level continuous sheet 

 of material. Every form of deposit of fine material by aqueous 

 agency tends to level aud smooth over the area of deposit. 



* Trans. N.Z. Inst., vol. xxii., art. xlviii. 



t Loc. cit., p. 407. 



*Loc. cit., p. 413. 



§ Mr. T. Goodall, in a paper on the loess (Trans., vol. xix., art. Ix.), 

 a4so says, " These beds curve with the hill, and do not occur in flat beds 

 as in marine deposits." He also gives a diagram showing the curvature. 



