Stowe. — Effect of Wind-driven Sand as a Cutting Agent. 105 



from above. It was so hard and tough that we could not break off the 

 smallest piece of it. 



As I could not divest my mind of the impression that the original entrance 

 to the cave was in the face of the gully, I narrowly examined the ground 

 opposite to what I judged to be the bottom of the cave, and found that a vast 

 detritus had fallen from above which might well have crushed in the mouth of 

 the cave and buried it from view. I have shown that a long slope leads up to 

 the cave, which is bounded on the other side by the deep gully. Storm-water 

 coming from the mountain would naturally run down the slope or into the 

 gully. It certainly could not come on the platform bearing Moa bones with it. 



The platform could never have been the camping ground of anything 

 living, as the wind blows so fiercely across it as to tear up large sheets of 

 mica schist from the exposed edge of the gully. 



On returning from the cave we examined what we considered, on our 

 ascent, might be the entrance to another cave. The aperture was narrow, 

 and choked up with growing scrub. Having broken this down, and tied our 

 bridles together, my son dropped into the darkness and struck the ground at 

 about twelve feet. Having no light he could not explore the cave, which 

 appeared to be of considerable size, and dangerously precipitous. He sent up 

 by means of the bridle a large pelvis of a Moa, which I left on the rock to 

 mark the cave. 



Art. VI. — On the Effect of Wind-driven Samd as a Cutting Agent, 



By Edwin Stowe. 



[Bead before the Wellington Philosophical Society, 25th September, 1872.] 

 It may be interesting to those who are acquainted with the sand-worn stones 

 of Lyall Bay, either from personal observation, or from Plate XYIL, in 

 the second volume of the Transactions, and the description there given by 

 Mr. W. T. L. Travers, to know that on another part of our coast effects similar 

 to those thus far observed are being produced by somewhat similar action. 



The southern bank of the Waikato river for the last few miles of its 

 course is formed by a range of sandstone, for the most part still covered by 

 the natural vegetation of the district. But northwards from the point where 

 this range, meeting the sea, forms a line of abrupt cliff making away to the 

 south, there extends for a distance of about a mile, up to the actual river 

 mouth, a long bank of considerable elevation, composed of fine sea-sand. 

 This is entirely devoid of the vegetation usually found upon sand-dunes, and 

 lies fully exposed to the action of the S.W. gales, which blow with such force 

 on this part of the coast. The landward, or eastern slope of this sandy 

 elevation, is for the most part exceedingly abrupt — as abrupt as it is possible 

 for loose sand to be — so much so, indeed, that at a distance it appears to be a 



o 



