304 KEPORTS OP RESEARCH COMMITTEES. 



of glacial origin of more recent date. These cibservatiOTis clearly 

 indicate that parts of the north-west uf the South Island, not 

 hitherto credited with being glaciated, underwent a somewhat 

 severe glaciation in Pleistocene times, the nearness of the lower 

 slopes to somewhat high mountains being no doubt largely respon- 

 sible for extension of the glaciers to low levels in that region. 



In papers dealing with the Cass (Trans. N.Z. Inst., vol. 48, 

 1916) and the Hurunui Districts (Trans. N.Z. Inst., vol. 51, 

 1918). Speight deals with the physiographic features of these 

 localities resulting from glaciation. 



Park has drawn attention in a note entitled " The Rate of 

 Erosion of the Hooker and Mueller Glaciers" (Trans. N.Z. Inst., 

 vol. 49, 1917), to an impoi'tant factor in estimating the rate of 

 erosion of a glaciated valley from the silt content of the rivers 

 issuing from the terminal faces of the glaciers. He emphasizes the 

 fact that the fine matter susj^ended in glacial streams is not derived 

 entirely from sub-glacial erosion, but from dust, etc., collected 

 on the surface of the glacier and included in the veve. 



Observations have been made on the position of the terminal face 

 of the Franz Josef Glacier by Mr. Alec. Graham, the well-known 

 guide, who' lives near the glacier. These have been summarized 

 and published by Speight (Trans. N.Z. Inst., vol. 47. 1915). 

 They show that the ice has retreated an average distance of 

 170 feet over the M'hole front since Dr. Bell made his observations 

 in 1910, and that there was alsoi a shrinkage of the ice fui'ther 

 up-stream. However, the presence of waves or pulses in the upper 

 parts oi the glacier, which are steadily moving downstream, indicate 

 a possible advance within a reasonable time, when the effect of 

 these pulses has reached the vicinity of the terminal face. 



Quite recently (Trans. N.Z. Inst., vol. 52, 1920, p. 107), 

 Professor Park has made the announcement of the discovery near 

 the month of the Taieri en the south-east coast of Otago, of a 

 breccia containing striated botilders in strata of Palaeozoic age. 

 He is inclined to think that these are of glacial origin though he 

 does not say so definitel}^ If his tentative conclusion is correct, 

 then this is one of the most interesting discoveries in connexion 

 with New Zealand glaciology made for many years. Even if the 

 rocks where the breccia occurs have the Trias-Jura age assigned 

 to them by Marshall, the announcement is the first report of the 

 existence of glaciers in the New Zealand area from beds which 

 are older than the Cainczoic. It is to be hoped that subsequent 

 investigation may endorse Park's tentative conclusion. 



R. SPEIGHT 



Canterbury Museum, 



Christchurch, New Zealand. 



