614 Neio Zealand Institute. 



distributed from the horizon of the greensands and Saurian beds, immediately 

 overlying the coal up to the grey marls, that closes the cretaceo-tertiary 

 series in this district. 



Collections have also heen made from many localities in the in- 

 terior in the district between the Manawatu Gorge and Napier, and 

 much valuable information gained for the proper arrangement of the beds 

 of tertiary age. The results obtained, which will be found in the Geological 

 Survey Reports for the current year, show that the Scinde Island shell 

 limestones and underlying fossiliferous sands and gravels belong to the 

 horizon of the " tufaceous clays and lignitiferous deposits " of newer 

 pliocene age [see Reference to Geological Map, 1873), while the Te Ante 

 and Manawatu Gorge limestones represent the Wanganui series ; the Taipos 

 or Hawke Bay series of the map being the equivalent of the Awamoa or 

 Pareora beds, which form the base of the Kanieri series in the South 

 Island. There is, therefore, no stratigraphical evidence of the existence of 

 the Ahuriri formation as proposed by Capt. Hutton, so that his later views 

 on the sul)ject, published in the Transactions of the New Zealand Institute 

 (Vol. IX., page 590), are confirmed so far as to exclude that term from 

 future geological classifications. 



From Whangarei, collections were also made from the beds overlying 

 the coal, correlating these with the island sandstone horizon of the West 

 Coast. The occurrence of a second or lower limestone was also traced here, 

 replacing the coal in certain localities. 



An examination of the country was made between Opotiki and the East 

 Cape, but the impracticable character of the country precluded the forward- 

 ing of collections from there. The work has gone to connect the geological 

 structure of this block of country with that previously surveyed between 

 Poverty Bay and the East Cape. 



At the present time all the collections of fossils have been worked out 

 and the genera roughly determined, the further work of classifying these 

 for comparison and description being now in progress. 



The following general Reports have been printed during the past year, 

 and will be shortly ready for issue : — 



Progress Report 1873-74, 1G4 pp., 15 plates and maps ■'• 

 1874-76, 191 pp., 16 

 1876-77, 157 pp., 38 



Meteoeology. 



The stations at which observations are made are fourteen in number — 

 viz., Mongonui, Auckland, Taranaki, Napier, Wanganui, Wellington, Nel- 

 son, Cape Camx^bell, Christchurch, Bealey, Hokitika, Dunedin, Queenstown, 

 and Wallacetown. 



* Partly published and distributed in 1874. 



