Cambrian Faunas. 26! t 



may be said that the hypothesis of the circulation of ocean 

 currents between the poles and the equator will explain some 

 of the peculiar features, which may be observed in the distri- 

 bution and succession of the faunas of the Cambrian age. 

 There are three Northern faunas of Cambrian and Ordo- 

 vician times, which successively extended themselves to the 

 southward — these are the Paradoxides fauna, the Peltura 

 fauna, of which the Olenus fauna was an earlier phase, and 

 the fauna of the Utica Slate. To these as intermediate be- 

 tween the two latter, might be added the Arenig fauna ; 

 but this I have not attempted to discuss. 



The Australasian Association for the 

 Advancement of Science. 



The Australasian Association for the Advancement of 

 Science held its annual meeting at Christchurch, New Zea- 

 land, on January 15, 1891. It will be remembered that this 

 Association was organized only a few years since, taking 

 the British Association as its model. Like this and the 

 American Association, it has no permanent place of meet- 

 ing, but moves from place to place each year. The last 

 session was held at Canterbury College, Christcburch, New 

 Zealand, with the retiring president Baron Ferd. von 

 Mueller, the distinguished Australian naturalist, in the 

 chair. 



The holding of this session of the Association in New 

 Zealand, originated in 1 an invitation given by Sir James 

 Hector in 1888, when in Melbourne representing New Zea- 

 land at the Exhibition. The request to hold the meeting 

 in New Zealand was agreed to, and subsequently Christ- 

 church was selected as the locale of the session. Imme- 

 diately upon this being settled, Professor Hutton, the local 

 Secretary, took steps to get together a local committee, and 

 at once proceeded to work out the programme for the ses- 

 sion. How successfully this was achieved may be gathered 

 from the high expressions of approval which have proceed- 



