Otago histitute. 435 



crumbling rock at the end of the beach is said to contain fossil shells. The 

 point opposite Gull Rocks resembles at some places great beds of hard, black 

 cinders, and at others hard, compact, ribbon-like masses, the strata being very- 

 much inclined. In the next bay is a large sandy cave, 120 feet in diameter, 

 the result of the action of the sea at a former time, when the land stood at a 

 lower level, which is the abode of numerous rabbits. Further on immense 

 cliffs of black rock stand straight up from the water's edge to a height of at 

 least 600 feet. The cliff then divides, forming a terrace, partly under cultiva- 

 tion, on the slopes around which the timber is being rapidly destroyed. 

 "Away before us extended a huge gap in the ground, the bottom of which we 

 could not see. To our left rose a high precipice of black basaltic pillars, from 

 the base of which sloped gently down a beautifully green patch of low bush. 

 The precipice extended on our front to the sea, the pillars being brownish 

 coloured, standing perpendicularly, like the pipes of a great organ, and ranging 

 from 35 to 50 feet in height, capped by a great thickness of amorphous basalt 

 in several beds. Down to our right was a patch of sandy-looking rock through 

 which the sea came rolling in tlirough a great archway." Nearly in front of 

 the arch is a large pyramidal stack of rock in deep water, rising to about 

 (350 feet in a pretty regular cone, and frequented by numberless birds. From 

 a lofty cliff an extensive view of the surrounding countiy was obtained, and 

 " a short way down the other side of the ridge we came to a very curious 

 piece of ground. There was no soil on it, but plenty of stones of all sizes. 

 The south-west and north-east winds sweep over this tract of land with 

 great force, and carry away every particle that is moveable, blowing it into 

 the valley on either side ; the sand is thus kept perpetually passing, either one 

 "way or the other, over this arid belt. As a result of this motion all the stones 

 are worn and polished into peculiar triangular shapes, something like those 

 found in the wind-hollows among the sand-hills on the ocean beach near 

 Dunedin."* Several species oi Raoulia were gathered here. 



2. " On the Skull of a Grampus killed by the Maoris at the Heads," by 



A. C. Purdie. 



(abstract.) 



This paper was a description of the Grampus phoccena orcaf of Owen, 



which was killed at the heads by the Maoris, and obtained from them for the 



Museum by the Hon. Captain Fraser. It has a very formidable-looking bead, 



and large laniariform teeth well adapted for tearing and destroying whales. 



The Maoris call them " killers," and say that they attack whales and tear out 



their tongues. The author had a photograph taken of this specimen, and 



forwarded it to Dr. Hector, in the hope that scientific men might take up the 



* See Trans. N.Z. lust., Vol. II., p. 247.— [Ed.] 



t Orca ixiclfica, Gray, Proc. Zool. Soc, 1870, p. 70. —[Ed.] 



