350 REPORTS OF RESEARCH COMMITTEES. 



it on other gi'ounds. For example, in Bulletin No. 37 of the same 

 Survey, p. 15, Gibson records that the Ponton River has ceased 

 to flow as a stream and has been obliterated by drifting sand, and 

 (p. 20) that remains of Diprotodon australis are found freely in 

 surface depoeits near the same locality (lat. 31 deg. so;uth, long. 

 124 deg. east), thus showing that moister oonditicns, definitely 

 accepted as existing formerly in south and east Australia, ob- 

 tained in the area to the west of the Siouth Australian border. 

 It should be noted that Jutson does not give any definite proi- 

 nouncement as to the age of these " deep leads," and considers 

 that they may belong to different epochs ranging back, perhap«- 

 t'l the Tertiary era. 



New Zealand. 



The general sequence of climatic changes in New Zealand 

 shows some analogy to that of Australia. During mid-Tertairy 

 times the climate was certainly warmer than at present, but it 

 cooled down in the Pliocene period till it was but slightly warmer 

 than now. In Pleistocene times there was an extension of the 

 glaciers, with a probable cooling below the present general tem- 

 perature of the area, aicocmpanied by steppe conditions over the 

 eastern part of the South Island. These last conditions persisted 

 till the glaciers retreated, when the climate became more rainy, 

 following which a modified steppe climate persisted to the present. 

 There can be no reasonable doubt, however, that the western side 

 of the main range in both islands experienced a moist climate 

 throughout the latter part of the era, though if the mountains 

 were not so high, the rainfall would be more equally distributed 

 over the whole New Zealand area. 



Both Hutton and Morgan co'nsidered that there was evidence of 

 glaciation in Eocene times. The former held that the so-called 

 lake beds of Otago were hollowed out by ice, and he specially 

 instances the Bluespur diggings as furnishing evidence of this 

 glaciation (Geology of Otago, p. 93). Marshall has recently 

 shown (The Geology of the Tixapeka District, Bulletin No. 19, 

 New Zealand Geol. Survey, 1918, p. 58), as the result of careful 

 examination of the area concernine: which iTutton was most de- 

 finite in his statements, that the evidence is iinsatisfactcry, and. 

 therefore, the statement that Otago experienced an Eocene glacia- 

 tion must be taken with considerable reserve. It is only fair to 

 say, however, that Hutton was supported in his opinion by 

 Ulrich, Cox, Park, and Rickard, though he was oippcsed by 

 McKay. 



Some support to Hutton's opinion is given by Morgan in his 

 report en the coarse boulder beds of the Koiterangi Series in 

 Westland (Geology of the Mikonui Subdivision. Bulletin No. 6, 

 New Zealand Geol. Survey, 1908, p. 102). Morgan considered 

 these beds of Lower Tertiary age, and that the lower members 



