Wellington Philosophical Society. 587 
In the Cretaceous formation occur the great coal deposits in New Zea- 
land. The associated flora, which is very rich in forms, has a large 
preponderance of Dicotyledonous plants some of which have been referred to 
generic representatives of the existing flora of this country, forty different 
species being distinguished. 
The upper Cretaceous and Eocene formations (Cretaceo-tertiary) are 
blended and continuous in sequence and altogether of marine origin ; but in 
some distriets the sections are incomplete in their lower sub-divisions, and 
the eoal series, if present, is overlaid immediately by one of the upper 
sub-divisions, indicating a probable continuity of land surface in some parts 
of the area throughout the entire period. 
In the Miocene there is again evidence of wide-spread land surfaces in 
the South Island, at the base of the great gravel deposits that represent all 
the subsequent formations in that area; but in the North Island the 
Miocene and lower Pliocene formations are marine, the upper Pliocene 
being a lignitiferous series, associated with pumice sands. The flora of the 
tertiary period is badly preserved, and the collections are scanty ; but as far 
as yet studied, it bears a very close affinity to the recent flora of the 
country. 
12. “ On the Fossil Brachiopoda of New Zealand," by Dr. Hector. 
ABSTRACT. 
The lower, secondary, and upper Paleozoic formations of New Zealand, 
afford a remarkable abundance of Brachiopoda belonging to the family 
Spiriferide, and the examination of them has led to the discovery of several. 
forms, possessing characters hitherto undescribed, and has, besides, proved 
that several well-known genera have a much greater vertical range than has 
hitherto been assigned to them. 
Thus the peculiar sub-genus of Terebratula represented by the typical 
Epithyris elongata, which has previously been recorded only from Permian 
and Carboniferous strata, is abundant in the Liassic (Bastion) series, and 
extends downwards to the upper Silurian formation. 
In dealing with those Spiriferide distinguished by the possession of a 
punctate shell structure and a strong mesial septum in the ventral valve, it 
has been found convenient to restrict the genus Spiriferina to the middle 
secondary forms, having rounded cardinal angles, and a moderately extended 
hinge-line as in Spiriferina walcoti, and S. rostratus, while Professor Kónig's 
name of T'rigonotreta has been revived for the Permian species, in which 
the hinge-line is greatly produced, and forms acute processes, as the New 
Zealand forms clearly support the generic distinctions relied on in Professor 
King's monograph on the Permian Fossils of England. Thus, while the — 
general form is that of Spirifera, the shell shows a distinctly punctato ——— 
ABB uds 
