W. Travers. — Supposed Pleistocene Glaciation of New Zealand. 437 



summer often very great. The winter in Otago is decidedly colder, and severe 

 frosts with, deep snow on the uplands ate common in the winter. 



11 Stewart Island is subject to violent winds and frequent fogs. 



" Strong winds ai-e prevalent thoughout the colony, and particularly in the 



straits. 



"Rain falls frequently, but seldom in such excessive quantity or for periods 



of so great length as in Australia, the heaviest rain seldom exceeds two 



days' duration, excepting on the West Coast, whilst it is rare for a fortn 



elapse without a shower. The rainfall for the year 1871 was 54£ inches, the 



average rainfall in England being 



In conclusion, I repeat that, for the reasons shortly given in this paper, 



I have no hesitation in believing Dr. Haast's glacial hypothesis to be utterly 

 untenable, whilst he has called upon his readers to accept it without adducing 

 in support of it any of those evidences which alone should satisfy the judicious 

 enquirer, and I cannot help expressing my regret that he should continue to 

 maintain those views dogmatically, in opposition to that simpler explanation 

 of the phenomena to be elucidated, which the observance of sound principles 

 of geological investigation might have led him to. 



Note. Since the foregoing paper was written our President has stated, in 



the address with which he favoured us at the opening of this year's session, 

 that the north-west winds which impinge upon the west coast of the South 

 Island derive their heat from the surface of Australia. This is a repetition of 



reasons 



on the part of Dr. Hector ; but, seeing that our President has also given his 

 countenance to the same views, I think it now necessary to state, in somewhat 

 further detail, the reasons which weigh with me in rejecting it. 



All physical geographers agree as to the direction of the great air currents 

 which result in the trade winds, and of those by which the place of that 

 portion of the atmosphere which is engaged in the production of these winds 

 is refilled. In the southern hemisphere the current which ultimately produces 

 the south-east trade wind is an upper current flowing towards the north-west, 

 in a sort of spiral or loxodromic curve, between the sixtieth and thirty-third 

 parallels of south latitude. On reaching the latter, at the outer edge of what 

 are termed the calms of Capricorn, it plunges, passing under the comparatively 

 warmer currents (to which I will hereafter refer) and becoming a surface wind, 

 blowin" more directly towards the north-west until it reaches the equatorial 

 belt of calms. A f ter it has thus become a surface wind it is called the south- 

 east trade wind. In like manner, the current which produces the north-east 

 trade wind flows in a similar spiral or loxodromic curve, as an upper current, 

 between the parallels of 60° and 30° of north latitude, at the latter of which it 

 also plunses, passing through the warmer current to which I will shortly refer, 



