536 Proceedings. 
Mr. Kirk spoke of the discovery as being of great interest, but was inclined to believe 
- plant would prove identical with an Australian species, notwithstanding its larger 
size. In other parts of New Zealand the natives had traditions that certain trees were 
the paddles or canoe poles which had been fixed in the ground on landing, and had 
taken root; and as the genus Pomaderris was restricted to Australia and New Zealand, 
he feared that we could not expect to find the plant discovered by Dr. Hector in other 
countries. 
Mr. Buchanan thought that if the plant was a new species we were as much in the 
dark as ever, and that if it proved to be identical with the Australian species, it would 
upset many pet theories with respect to the “ Whence of the Maori.” 
9. ** Notes on some New Zealand Crustaceans,” by T. W. Kirk, Assistant 
in the Colonial Museum. (Transactions, p. 401.) 
10. “ Description of a new Species of Celmisia,” by J. Buchanan, F.L.S. 
(Transactions, p. 427.) 
11. **On the Fossil Flora of New Zealand," by Dr. Hector, Director of 
the Geological Survey. 
ABSTRACT. 
This paper gave a prodromus of a work on the fossil flora of New Zea- 
land, containing descriptions and figures of about a hundred species. The 
earliest traces of plants found in the New Zealand rocks are in the upper 
Silurian formation, but these and also the plant remains found in the 
Devonian and lower Carboniferous strata are very obscure, and no structural 
features have yet been identified. 
The earliest recognized forms are Glossopteris and Schizoneura, which 
occur about the middle of the Kaihiku formation, overlying marine fossils 
that have a mixed Carboniferous and Permian facies. 
In the Wairoa formation of Triassic age, fragmentary plant remains are 
abundant. Dammara occurs, the wood having been identified from its 
peculiar structure by Prof. Unger*; also, fronds that are referred to—Zamites 
and Neuropteris. 
The next horizon with plants is in the Flag Hill series, which is the 
lower of the three divisions of the Jurassic, and the following forms indicate 
an extension of the Indian flora of the same period far into southern 
latitudes. Macrotenopteris lata, Paleozamia mataurienis, Oleandridum vittatum, 
var., Alethopteris (two species), Pecopteris (three species), Neuropteris stricta, 
Camptopteris nove-zealandia, Cycadites, and Echinostrobus. A closely-allied 
flora to this re-appears in the Mataura series, which is the upper member 
of the Jurassic formation. 
The Neocomian strata (or Amuri series) which are so rich in the remains 
of fossil reptilia, are interesting from their affording the earliest specimens 
of a true Dicotyledonous leaf, associated with the foliage of Dammara and 
Araucaria. 
* Hochstetter’s New Zealand, p 57. 
BA ron Laici 
