Ancient Glaciers of New Zealand. 251 * 



XXIV. — Notes on the Ancient Glaciers of New Zealand. 



[With map, Plate 19.] 



By ISRAEL C. RUSSELL. 



Read May 15th, 1S76. 



About twelve hundred miles east of Australia, are 

 situated the islands of New Zealand, the most promising of 

 the English colonies in the southern hemisphere. The name 

 of New Zealand was given to these islands by the Dutch 

 navigator Tasman, who discovered them in 1642, but consid- 

 ered that they were a portion of the Terra Australis Incog- 

 nita. This land was shown by Captain Cook, however, to 

 be composed of two main portions, known as the North and 

 the South Islands, around which are grouped a few smaller 

 and far less important islands. 



The North Island is largely composed of igneous rocks,* 

 and is chiefly remarkable to the geologist for the regularity 

 and beauty of its numerous volcanic mountains, and also for 

 the extent of its hot-lakes and geysers. The mountains are 

 mostly isolated trachytic cones, that have been formed by 

 the overflow of lava during ancient volcanic eruptions. The 

 grandest of these old volcanoes are Mt. Egmont and Rua- 

 pehu ; the latter, situated near the center of the island, at- 

 tains an elevation of 9,195 feet. Nearly all the volcanoes 

 are extinct; two, however, Tongario and White Island, still 

 give evidence that their ancient fires are smouldering in their 

 depths. The indications of the expiring volcanic energy, as 

 shown by boiling-springs and geysers, are best seen in the 

 neighborhood of Lake Topo and Lake Roto-rura, situated 

 on a line joining the smoking volcanoes just mentioned. 

 Hochstetter describes this wonderful region of hot-lakes, 

 fumaroles, mud-volcanoes, and boiling geysers, as "far ex- 

 ceeding all others in the world in variety and extent." 



The South Island is traversed from N. E. to S. W. by the 

 November, 1876. 20 Ann. Lyc. Nat. Hist., Vol. xr. 



