354 REPORTS OF RESEARCH COMMITTEES. 



associated with it could not establish themselves on the spot where 

 the trees were found, and the existence of this forest suggests a 

 fornier milder and rainier climate favorable to the growth of this 

 tree. 



Professor A. Wiall, in a paper on Ranunculus imucifolius (Trans. 

 New Zealand Inst., voil. 52, 1920) points out that co'-existent with 

 the glacial extension and also subsequent to it, steppe conditions 

 extended over the Canterbury area. This conclusion was arrived 

 ar as a reisult of a complete examination of the distribution and 

 relationships of this most interesting plant. 



In a paper on the Palseographical relations of Antarctica 

 (P.L.S., London, 1912) Hedley expresses an oipinion that the 

 Eocene was a warm period in Patagonia, Australia, and New Zea- 

 land ; that forms like the Kauri and the snail J'/arosfi/?us invaded 

 the New Zealand area during this warm period and have been 

 thrust north by the refrigeration of the climate. He accounts 

 for the existence and ])erpetuation of the ccld climate forms by 

 the refuge which would have been afforded them by the Antarctic 

 Plateau, and that they had migrated from there during a cold 

 period, so' that there was an invasion of the New Zealand area froin 

 Antarctic regions of (1) sub-tropical, (2) temperate, and (3) alpine 

 forms. He would thus account fcr the sub-tropical element in 

 the New Zealand flora by the arrival oi immigrants from Antarc- 

 tica. If this is so, it must have an impoTtant bearing on our 

 ideas of climate succession in these regions, but this hypothesis 

 is apparently in co'ntravention of the existing opinion as to the 

 direction from which New Zealand received the sub-tropical ele- 

 ment in its flora, and there are difficulties as regards the function 

 or even the existence of an antarctic plateau in Tertiary times. 



SECTION D. 



Biological and Hydrographical Study of New Zealand 

 Coast Committee. 



(By Professor Chas- Chilton, DSc-, Secretary to the Committee-) 



The Committee begs to report that owing to the causes men; 

 tioned in previous reports it has been difficult tO' have much work 

 done by the Committee as a whole, though by taking advantage of 

 the facilities for research afforded by other opportunities a good 

 deal of work has been done bv individual members. The last 

 report was sent in for the Melbourne meeting held in January, 

 1913. During December. 1914, and January, 1915, the honorary 

 secretary of the Committee took advantage of the opportunity 

 afforded by the Minister of Marine of going round tlie coast of the 

 North Island of New Zealand on the Government steamer Hine- 

 moa, on the occasion of her usual visit to the lighthouses on that 



