560 CAPT. F. TT. HITTIOX OX THE COEEELATIOXS OF THE 



It cannot be AncyJocems, "because tiie ribs are of eqnal strength all 

 round ; and it cannot be Baculites, because the ribs are quite trans- 

 verse. If it be a Cepbalopod at all, it must, I think, be a new genus, 

 and consequently it has but little chronological value. 



Evidently, if vre can trust to palseontological evidence, the Ototara 

 series, both at Oamaru and in the Waitaki YaUey, together with 

 the Weka-pass stone, must be included in one system with the 

 Curiosity-Shop beds. Mr. M'^Kay certainly says of the fossils of 

 the Cretaceo-Tertiary series that ''in all cases these are speci- 

 ficaUy different from the shells found in the higher parts of the 

 series, which are mainly the fossils of Professor Hutton's Oamaru 

 formation" (Geol. Eep. 1883-4, p. 59) ; but, as he gives no name, 

 it is impossible to attempt to reconcile his statement with my list. 

 and it is opposed to his own list of the fossils of the Trelissic Basin 

 ■ (Geol. Eep. 1879-80, p. 70), where about one fifth are common to 

 both series. 



But Dr. Hector does not rely altogether on palseontological evi- 

 dence for separating his Upper Eocene rocks from the upper part of 

 his Cretaceo-Tertiary series ; he considers that an unconformity exists 

 between them. I have already shown that no unconformity exists 

 in the Weka-pass district *. I will now take the north of Otago, a 

 district which I examined in December 1873. 



Dr. Hector says, " These higher [Upper Eocene] beds it has been 

 impossible to separate, either stratigraphically or otherwise, from 

 the Awamoa series [Pareora beds], which overlie them; whilst be- 

 tween this and the underlying Cretaceo-Tertiary series unconformity 

 is to be observed at several points, as in the Cape HiUs [Oamaru], 

 and at Cape Campbell {vide Peport on that district), although it may 

 be doubted whether the Awatere beds, which there rest unconform- 

 ably on the Cretaceo-Tertiary series, are the true equivalents of the 

 Awamoa beds, or of Upper Miocene age. Apart from this, however, 

 the character of the volcanic rocks at Oamaru, as evidencing the 

 existence of a land-surface, together with their superior position to 

 those of the calcareous beds of Hutchinson's quarry, with the 

 Awamoa beds resting conformably on them in Lime-kiln Gully, 

 sufS.ciently attest the unconformity, which is further supported by 

 the occurrence of an outlier of Awamoa beds resting upon the green- 

 sands and coal-grits in the Waireka Yalley"t. This argument may 

 be summed up as follows : — The volcanic rocks at Oamaru Cape prove 

 a land-surface ; consequently the Hutchinson's-quarry beds which 

 lie above the volcanic rocks must be unconformable to the Cretaceo- 

 Tertiary which lie below them. Purther, no unconformity can be 

 made out between the Hutchinson's-quarry beds and the overlying 

 Awamoa series (Pareora system) ; but at Cape Campbell (300 miles 

 away) beds belonging to the Pareora system (Awatere series) are 

 unconformable to the Cretaceo-Tertiary ; it may, however, be doubted 



* "On the Geological position o£ the Weka-pass Stone," Quart. Joum. Geol. 



c. vol. xli. p. 266. 



t Eeport of Geological Explorations, 1876-7, p. ix. 



