376 PROCEEDINGS OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY. [March 26, 



of clays and sandstones, but in the South Island it is often calcareous. 

 It is absent from the southern portion of the North Island and the 

 northern portion of the South Island. A species of Protocardia, 

 very like P. pondicherriensis from the cretaceous rocks of India, 

 is found at Trelissick. The following South-American Miocene 

 fossils also occur in the group, viz. Natica solida and Dentalium 

 giganteum. 



Eocene Peeiod. 

 Upper Eocene or Ototara Group. 



Number of species determined 43 



,, of recent species 4 



„ passing up into the Waitewata group 11 



„ passing down into the Waipara formation 1 



„ confined to the group 25 



Percentage of recent species 9 



Localities. — North Island : Bay of Islands'and Whangarei Coal- 

 measures and Limestones ; Port Waikato ; Baglan ; Aotea ; Kawhia ; 

 Whangape Lake ; Lower "Waikato ; Poverty Bay (lower series) ; 

 Cape Kidnappers ; Cape Turnagain. South Island : Motupipi ; 

 Limestones of the Aorere; Tata Island; Takaka ; Cape Farewell ; 

 Brighton ; Kaipuke Cliffs ; Blackbirch Creek ; Weka Pass (upper 

 series of Mount Brown) ; Curiosity Shop ; Oamaru ; Caversham ; 

 Saddle Hill?; Win ton ; Waimea Plains, Southland; Castle Eock; 

 Waiau river ; north side of Mount Hamilton. 



References. — Crawford, Trans. N. Z. Inst. ii. p. 343 (7 ?). Haast, 

 Geol. Beports, 1870-71, p. 5, "Waipara District (11 and 12, or 

 / and (/, Cucuttcea-be&s) ; ibid. p. 25, Amuri District (Scalaria-be&s 

 12) ; ibid. 1871-72, Malvern Hill District (7). Hector, Quart. 

 Journ. Geol. Soc. 1865, p. 125 (Oamaru or White Crag, b) ; p. 128, 

 iv. 1) ; Geol. Beports, 1866-67, p. 17 (Miocene, 3) ; Progress Ee- 

 port, 1868-69, p. xii (3 and 4) ; Trans. N. Z. Inst. iv. p. 345 (a). 

 Hochstetter, New Zealand, 1867, p. 60 (b-g and i). Hutton, Geol. 

 Beports, 1868-69, p. 7 (lower series a) ; Trans. N. Z. Inst. iii. 

 p. 249 (Papakura and Aotea series) ; Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc. 1869, 

 p. 13 (Miocene Bocks) ; Geol. Beports, 1871-72, p. 114 (Bay-of- 

 Islands Coal); ibid. p. 99 (Lower Tertiary, g in part). Huxley, 

 Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc. 1859, p. 670. Mantell, Quart. Journ. Geol. 

 Soc. 1848, p. 328 (Ototara Limestone). 



Remarks. — This group is widely spread from one end of New 

 Zealand to the other, and occurs on both sides of the Alps. The 

 lower beds are generally marls and sandstones, while the upper arc 

 almost always calcareous. Eighteen species of Echinodermata are 

 confined to this group, one of which is a Caratomus from the Deans, 

 at Waipara. A species of BelemniteUa is also found at Saddle. Hill, 

 near Dunedin, in rocks referred to this formation by Dr. Hector ; 

 but no other fossils have as yet been obtained from the same beds. 

 The following South-American Miocene shells occur in the group, 

 viz. Natica solida, Dentalium giganteum, and Cucidlcea alia] The 



