226 Transactions.— Zoology. 



Akt. XX. — Bes2t.lt of a Further Exploration of the Bone- 

 fissure at the Castle Bocks, Southland. 



By A. Hamilton. 



[Bead before the Otago Institute, 14th November, 1893.1 



Plates XXIII., XXIV. 



In the Transactions of last year I gave an account of the 

 Castle Eock fissure, and of the specimens yielded by an ex- 

 ploration of its depths. 



This year Mr. Mitchell and myself have, through the 

 kindness of Mr. Barnhill, renewed our work, W\\h. very satis- 

 factory results, the anticipations expressed in the previous 

 paper having been fully realised. 



It will first be necessary to take this opportunity of 

 making a few corrections and additions to the diagrams as 

 printed in the Transactions, vol. xxv., pi. vii. The letter C 

 (see 10. 90) should be placed more to the left of the person 

 looking at the diagram, on the dotted portion. In the diagram 

 it is on the limestone rock. The letters D. E, and F have 

 been omitted altogether. They should occur on the plan, and 

 on the section from 3 to 4, D being just under the figure 4, 

 E at the narrow gap at the other end, and F marking the arm 

 of the cave near the figure 4. A more important error runs 

 through the tables of dimensions (with the exception of that 

 of Ocydromus), " Specimen No." being printed for " Number 

 of Specimens." 



Considerable preparations were made by us for this trip, as 

 I was fully convinced that the majority of the missing bones 

 of Harpagornis were there if %Ye could only find them. Our 

 first efforts were directed to trying to devise some method of 

 taking the soil out of the fissure altogether and spreading it 

 on the surface at the entrance. This necessitated the clearing- 

 away of a number of small bushes and " law^yers " to give an 

 open space on which to spread and examine the soil. This 

 being done, ropes were rigged, and two iron buckets. When 

 filled these were drawn up to the surface, emptied, and raked 

 over, so that any small bones contained might be seen. This 

 gave us a considerable number of small bones which would 

 not otherwise have been obtained, but it was slow work, and 

 was only carried on until sufficient of the loose and previously- 

 worked soil had been brought up to allow of further examina- 

 tion of the "lead" of bones under the rock. When we left 

 off last time the material excavated from the trench kept 

 slipping down again into the trench, and was a source of 

 danger. Now, however, it was possible to go much deeper, 

 and for 8ft. or 9ft. down we obtained bird-bones, principally 



