GEOLOGY. 



123 



Expedition between New Zealand and Sydney. In the narrative of the 

 voyage* it is said, " From these soundings, it is evident that a bank extends 

 8ome''200 miles west of Monnt Egmont, and may possibly reach Lord Howe 

 Ishmd." A"ain, " a reference to the general chart seems to indicate that a 

 bank of soundings, of less tlian 500 fathoms, extends a considerable distance 

 west of the north cape of JN'ew Zealand."! This bank is exceedingly well 

 shown on the general chart. Following the track of the " Challenger" from 

 Cook Strait towards Sydney, tile first bank beyond the 150-fathom shore 

 line, occurs at depths varying from 275 to 400 fathoms, and extends for 

 about two-thirds the distance in the direction of Lord Howe. The second 

 bank, and apparently that referred to in the previous quotations, ranges to a 

 depth of 1,100 fathoms, and it is on this that Lord Howe stands, the bank 

 extending sufBciently far in a northerly direction to include ]\Iiddleton Shoal 

 and Elizabeth Reef. Between this l,i00-fathom line and the east coast of 

 Australia occurs the " deep oceanic depression," described by the llev. W . 

 B, Clarke,! and varying in depth from 2,000 to 3,000 fathoms. 



How far this old land surface extended to the north it is difficult to say, 

 but a very noteworthy fact presents itself if a chart of this part of the South 

 Pacific Ocean is carefully examined, and the 160th meridian of east longi- 

 tude followed up from "Lord Howe. There, a little to the east of this line, 

 we find soundings at intervals represented by the following shoals going 

 northwards. § 



Lord Howe Island S. lat, 31" 36' 30". E. long, 159° 5' 10" 



Elizabeth Eeef S. lat,, 29° 56' 0". E, long., 159° 4' 50". 



Middleton Shoal S. lat., 29° 27' 40". E. long., 159° 4' 17' 



Bellona Eeefs S. lat., 21° 47' 20". E. long., 139° 35' 1 . 



Chesterfield Eeef & Islets. S. lat., 19° 58' 30". E. long., 158° 30' 0" 



BamptonEeef S. lat., 19° 1' 19". E. long., 138° 27' 3". _ 



It is therefore possible that an old land connection of Lord Howe with 

 New Zealand mav have extended even as far north as the three last reefs 

 off the west coast of New Caledonia. The connection thus shown to exist 

 between Lord Howe and New Zealand is borne out in a very marked 

 manner by some points in the avi-fauna of the former. The birds common^to 

 the two, whether species or genera, have already been mentioned {antea, p. 17), 

 but the occurrence of so purely a New Zealand genus as Ocydromus, and the 

 former existence of the White Gallinule, Notornis alba are facts not to be 

 overlooked in a discussion such as the present. The latter bird, as before 

 stated, was known to live on Norfolk Island, and the opinion has even been 

 ventured that this island also was connected with New Zealand. Mr. 

 Wallace referringjl to the latter, states, " it has probably been much more 

 extensive than it is now, and has included the Auckland and Chatham 

 Islands, and perhaps even at some remote period the Kermadec Group ^ and 

 Norfolk Island." Again, speaking of the birds of Norfolk, he says,1[ " but 

 there are three others which connect this land unmistakably with New 

 Zealand. These are the Nestor produotus, which formerly inhabited Phillip 

 Island, but is now said to be extinct; a fine parroquet, Gyanoramphus 

 Bayneri ; and a remarkable white rail, Notornis alba. All these are peculiar 

 New Zealand forms, and two of them would be quite unable to pass over 



* Narrative I, i>t. 1, p. 406, Diagram 2, and Physical Chart of the World, 

 t lUd, p. 467. 



X Joiirn. B. Soo. N, S. Wales for 1876 (1877), p. 75. 

 § Findlay's S. Pacific Ocean Directory, 18S4, 5th Edit., p.p. Liv, and LV. 

 • II Australasia, loc. cit. p. 564. 

 ^ Ibid, p. 575. 



