300 PATAGONIAN EXPEDITIONS I PALAEONTOLOGY. 



Thus, out of 151 species, 15, or 10 per cent, are identical with New 

 Zealandian Tertiary fossils, while 1 1 more are closely allied, making the 

 total number of relations between Patagonian and New Zealandian Ter- 

 tiary 1 7 per cent. This is indeed a large percentage, considering the wide 

 separation of the two localities. 



Of these New Zealand species, 4 go through from the Oamaru beds to 

 Recent times, and 3 from the Pareora to Recent. Five are found in both 

 the Oamaru and Pareora, and 2 in the Pareora and Wanganui. Of the 

 rest (12), 3 belong to the Oamaru, and 9 to the Pareora beds. Thus the 

 bulk of the affinities points directly to a comparison with the New Zea- 

 landian Pareora beds, which are, according to Hutton (i885a), Miocene, 

 and this result again corroborates our identification of the Patagonian 

 beds as Miocene. 1 



We cannot, however, disregard the fact that there is considerable dis- 

 cussion as to the age of these New Zealandian beds, especially Hector, in 

 opposition to Hutton, considers them to be much older (Cretaceous-Ter- 

 tiary). But in this respect I should say that our investigations tend to 

 confirm Hutton's opinion, which makes these beds Oligocene and Miocene 

 (Oamaru and Pareora). 



On the other hand, v. Ihering (1899, p. 40, footnote) tries to minimize 

 the evidence furnished by the comparison of Patagonian and New Zea- 

 landian fossils, and thinks that a closer inspection of the New Zealand 

 species will prove their specific difference in many cases. In my opinion, 

 the question of specific identity is of secondary value, although I firmly 

 believe that in those cases marked in the list it is well established. But 

 even if there should be no identical species, the fact remains that a num- 

 ber of Patagonian fossils very closely resemble New Zealandian species, 

 and this fact is the more important, since some of these forms are ex- 

 tremely characteristic, for instance : Ciicullcea, Limopsis insolita, Scalaria 

 rugtilosa, Malletia, Sigapatella, Struthiolaria, Siphonalia domeykoana, which 

 types are hardly represented elsewhere. Indeed, it is the association of 

 forms like these which gives to the Patagonian and New Zealandian 

 faunas their striking similarity, not the fact that a few species are really 

 identical. 



1 1 have disregarded Cardita patagonica and Venus meridionalis, which are found, according to 

 Hutton (1886, p. 362 and 364) in the Pareora and Wanganui beds, since I have no means of 

 deciding their identity with the respective New Zealand species (C. intermedia and V. vellicata). 



