Fakquhar. — T'lie Netv Zealand Plateau. 135 



I know little or nothing of the North Pacific fauna, but a 

 comparison on the same lines would be extremely interesting. 

 Then we need an Australian naturalist to give us an accomit 

 of the character and affinities of the Australian marine fauna. 

 And when our Tertiary fossils have been worked up, a com- 

 parison with those of the northern temperate and sub-Arctic 

 regions will perhaps shed a little more light on this exceedingly 

 interesting problem. 



Art. XI. — The New Zealand Plateau. 



By H. Farquhar. 



Communicated by T. King. 



[Read before the Wellington Philosophical Society, 3rd October, 190G.] 



Plate V. 



At the time when the " Challenger " Reports were published 

 only a very few deep-sea soundings had been made with the 

 improved sounding apparatus in the neighbourhood of New 

 Zealand, and the New Zealand Plateau was only approximately 

 sketched on the map published with the reports. But since the 

 " Challenger " Expedition a great deal of sounding-work has 

 been done in the South Pacific by H.M.S. " Penguin " and other 

 vessels, in connection with the laying of the Pacific telegraph- 

 cable from British Columbia to New Zealand and Australia ; 

 and a line of soundings was run by Sir James Hector from the 

 Bluff southward to the Macquarie Islands, north-eastward to the 

 Chathams, and westward to Lyttelton. The contour of the 

 sea-bed surrounding this country is therefore fairly well known, 

 and we can now map out the Plateau correctly, except at one 

 or two points. 



The map now published is compiled chiefiy from the Admir- 

 alty chart of the Pacific Ocean with the latest additions, and a 

 map- of the Pacific, showing soundings, published by the India- 

 rubber, Guttapercha, and Telegraph Works Company. 



This great Plateau forms a very irregular area. It extends 

 far to the south and south-east beyond the outlying islands 

 (Auckland, Macquarie, Campbell, Antipodes, Bounty, and 

 Chatham), but the boundary-line has not been certainly fixed 

 here and may extend a little beyond that marked on the plan. 



