248 DE. C. T. TEECHMANN ON THE [vol. lxxix, 



west of Christchurch. The Putataka Series, which also has its 

 typical development at Waikato Heads and in the Hokonui district, 

 is represented in the southern districts by coarse-grained sandstones 

 which pass near the base of the formation into conglomerates, with 

 bands of indurated shale enclosing plant-remains and irregular 

 coal-seams. The Putataka Series is of marine origin. Hector 

 refers to these rocks in the reports as the ' Astarte Beds.' The 

 Flag Hill Series, principally developed in the Hokonui Range in 

 Southland, is in part marine, and is characterized by 18 forms 

 of fossil shells. The fossil plants in the upper part of this group 

 are the same as those found at Waikawa and Mataura Falls, and 

 are especially interesting in that at least one species is identical 

 with a plant found in the Rajmahal Beds of India (which are 

 considered to be of Liassic age) : namely, Macrotceniopteris lata. 



The lower 'part of the Flag Hill Series is marine, and Hector 

 gives a list of 18 names of English Oolite fossils. He says, more- 

 over, that, besides seven forms of Rhynclionella and three of 

 Terebratula, Spiriferina rostrata of the Lias is abundant, as also 

 a form of JEpitht/ris. 



The Bastion Series consists in its upper part of conglomerates 

 and sandy grits with plant-remains too indistinct for identification, 

 and in the lower of marly sandstones in banded kiyers of different 

 colours having at the base a concretionary structure which has led 

 to its being termed cannon-ball sandstone. Similar sand- 

 stones occur also in the Otapiri formation. Fossils are plentiful, 

 and divide the strata into distinct horizons. A list of fossils 

 follows, and Hector goes on to say that the general facies of the 

 fauna is (on the whole) Liassic, although many Lower Oolite forms 

 occur; but that the brachiopoda, of which 21 forms have been 

 provisionally distinguished, again present the same abnormal 

 survival of older tA r pes, especially in the occurrence of an Atliyris- 

 like shell belonging to the new sub-genus Clavigera, which has a 

 great development in the next formation below. 



The Otapiri Series is placed in the Rhsetie, but Hector says that 

 the fossils include forms belonging to the Lias and Oolite. His 

 list of fossils makes it clear, however, that he is here dealing with 

 the beds of the Carnic and Noric Series of the Trias. I have 

 already described both these beds and the Wairoa, Oreti, and 

 Kaihiku Series in a previous paper. 1 



Hector gave lists of the fossils collected by the Survey in the 

 Jurassic deposits, just as he gave lists for the Trias and supposed 

 Permian. As these names are mostly those of well-known English 

 fossils, they are of very little value, and therefore I have found it 

 necessary to neglect almost entirely Hector's lists, and have relied 

 primarily on the collecting done by Prof. P. Marshall and myself, 

 as also on specimens lent to me by Prof. Marshall and Mr. J. A. 

 Bartrum, and by the Director of the Geological Survey, about the 

 locality of which there could be no question. 



1 ' The Trias of New Zealand ' Q. J. G. S. vol. lxxiii (1917-18) p. 165. 



