524 New Zealand Institute. 
next occupied by Mr. Cox in the examination of the geology of the 
mountains lying between the Takaka and Aorere Valleys in the north- 
_ west part of Nelson District, and, in his report, he points out the 
importance of the mineral deposits which occur in the Lower Devonian 
rocks, 
From September to April, Mr. McKay was engaged in geologically map- 
ping a section between the east coast at the mouth of the Waitaki River, 
and the main watershed lying west of the Wanaka Lake. In the course of 
this survey, he examined in detail the structure of a strip of country about 
10 miles in average width, and extending for a distance of 120 miles inland 
from the east coast. In the Waitaki Valley he completely cleared up the 
evidence on which the subdivision of the Lower Tertiary and Upper Cre- 
taceous strata had been proposed, and obtained a large addition to the col- 
lection of fossils. He also proved the existence in the first-named range of 
mountains of the Permian and Upper Devonian formations, and refers the 
highly-altered slates and sandstones of the Kurow Mountains to the Lower 
Devonian group, identifying them with the rocks of the Walter Cecil Peaks 
south-west of Wakatipu Lake. He further found that the silicious rocks 
charged with mineral veins, at the source of the Arrow and Shotover Rivers, 
overlie the older schists of Central Otago, and in the higher points of the 
Black Peak Range found them to be traversed by dykes of igneous rocks, 
_ and to afford other indications of their being probably. intersected by rich 
mineral lodes. In the Devonian formation in South-east Canterbury he 
_ found a local development of white felspathic rocks charged with auri- 
_ ferous pyrites, which in their mineral character closely approach the auri- 
_ ferous rocks of Coromandel Peninsula, and which, on further examination, 
— prove of importance to the miner. 
i PUBLICATIONS. 
The following publications have been issued by the department during 
the year: (1.) Fifteenth Annual Report of the Colonial Museum and 
Laboratory, together with the List of Additions, ete., and an Abstract of the 
Results of Analyses, 56 pp. Syo. (2.) Fourteenth Progress Report of the 
Geological Survey of New Zealand for the Season 1879-80. By Dr. Hector, 
with maps and sections, including Reports on Riwaka (Cox), Mount Arthur 
Reefs (Cox), Rimutaka Reefs (Cox), Rodney and Marsden Counties (Cox), 
Southland County (McKay), Chalk in Ashley County (McKay), Selwyn 
County, Trelissic and Curiosity Shop Beds (McKay), Ashley and tes 
: —— (McKay), Lake County (McKay), Picton Coal (McKay), Dusky & 
So oe fae Lode (Rowe), Hindon Antimony Lode (Rowe), raed s 
' Lode te samema on Dusky eee ras 200 pp 
