Revieivs — Professor Park's Geology of New Zealand. 37 



succession in the forms of life corresponds generally with that of 

 Europe, but " obviously there may exist homotaxial parallelism 

 without synchronal agreement". Thus it is stated, on the authority 

 of Hutton, " that several genera of marine inollusca that appear in the 

 Eocene of Australia did not reach New Zealand until the Miocene and 

 Pliocene periods." But how came Cardium striatulum, Sow., to be 

 recorded from the older Pliocene (Awatere) Series ? Here we may 

 mention that we miss a reference in the body of the work to the 

 sponge-remains, described by Dr. GL J. Hincle and Mr. W. M. Holmes, 

 from the Lower Tertiary strata near Oamaru, although the title of 

 their paper is given in the Bibliography. 



Silurian rocks are represented by the Wangapeka Series, which has 

 yielded, according to McKay, Calymene Blumenbachii, Homalonotus 

 Kniglitii, and other fossils. The Te Anau Series, next in succession, 

 rests unconformably on the older rocks, and is grouped with the 

 Carboniferous, although it contains "no internal evidence of its age'', 

 but it is followed by fossiliferous rocks of the Carboniferous period. 

 In upward succession the various formations and their fossils are 

 described, together with the intrusive and volcanic rocks associated 

 with them. In the Hokonui system, Permian to Jurassic, there are 

 no traces of contemporary volcanic action, but " the volcanic activity 

 which began in the Upper Cretaceous epoch has continued with little 

 cessation up to the present day". It is interesting to note the 

 occurrence of greensands and of chalky limestone and chert in 

 the Cretaceous rocks. The Eocene and Miocene formations are 

 the principal coal-bearing strata, the former yielding anthracite, 

 bituminous, brown, and pitch coals, and the latter yielding brown 

 coals. Coal is also found in Jurassic and Cretaceous strata. The 

 author estimates that the available amount of coal (excluding seams 

 less than 2 feet thick) is about one thousand million tons, and that 

 it is likely to be exhausted in 140 years or less. He deals also with 

 the other mineral products — gold, iron-ore, building-stones, etc. — 

 and remarks that " the conservation of its mineral resources will soon 

 be the chief care of every civilized country ". 



The faults and physical changes which have effected the area of 

 New Zealand are duly described. A full and interesting account is 

 given of the Pleistocene glaciation, during which the invading ice- 

 sheet exceeded 7,000 feet in thickness. Raised beaches, old lake 

 beaches, post-glacial fans, and other phenomena are likewise described. 



Brief accounts are given of the Recent period, which is divided 

 into the Moriorian (Neolithic) and Dinornian, with the Dinornis and 

 other recently extinct birds. Brief also are the descriptions of the 

 geysers and hot and boiling springs of water and mud ; both hot 

 and cold mineral springs are regarded as possessing valuable curative 

 properties. 



The illustrations comprise some very good pictorial views and 

 photographs of fossils, many sketches of fossils, some diagrammatic, 

 and longitudinal sections. There is also a capital index. We notice 

 a few misprints : thus Amusium is spelt throughout Amussium. 



