AAO NEW ZEALAND. 
inches in diameter, of white and coloured quartz, which have much 
the appearance of imbedded boulders. They are penetrated, how- 
ever, to a depth of half an inch with the material of the enclosing 
rock. At the same place, there are small seams of black or greenish 
shining shale, which cleaves readily, affording curved lamine. ‘The 
rock in these parts has much resemblance to some chlorite beds, 
and the slate, where green, is actually a variety of chloritic slate. A 
hand specimen would be taken without hesitation for a fragment from 
a true chloritic rock. ‘The metamorphic changes here indicated are 
hence of great interest; and we regret that so little opportunity was 
offered us for following them out. 
The stratification of the formation we are describing, is occa- 
sionally indicated by distant parallel lines along the cliffs of a coast, 
though seldom distinguishable, even when a cliff is forty or fifty feet 
high. ‘These parallel lines, when apparent, vary from six inches to 
as many feet in width of interval; they are most distinct where the 
surface is water worn, and are thus brought out when not seen on a 
fresh fracture. ‘The dip is in all directions from 90° to 30°, but gene- 
rally varies between 45° and 90°. ‘There are other lines or fissures 
crossing those just referred to, and equally distinct, which throw 
doubts on any conclusions as to the stratification. 
Within a few yards at the head of the Bay, near the mouth of the 
Waikate River, the dip varies from 60° to the southwestward, through 
verticality to 70° to the northeastward. Passing over a few rods of 
the coast to the northward of this place, I took down the following :— 
Dip to the southeast, 70°. 
Numerous parallel fissures dipping to north-northeast, 75°. 
One, near by, dipping to northward, 80°. 
Two large fissures dipping to the northwest-by-north. 
Numerous parallel fissures to east-northeast, 80° to 85°. 
One fissure dipping to east-by-north, 60°. 
Another crossing the last, dipping to the southeast-by-south, 70°. 
Several parallel fissures dipping to northeast-by-north. 
The same diversity in direction is common. ‘The general direction, 
however, in the region just referred to, is to the northward and east- 
ward. In many parts of the Bay, there is too great a confusion of 
lines to make out any general direction; and in many others no fis- 
sures whatever could be detected. At the mouth of the Kirikiri River 
I found a dip of 40° to the north-northeast, though seldom distinguish- 
able; and across the river, at Mataroa, the layers were from one to five 
