﻿Wellington 
  PJiilosophical 
  Society. 
  537 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  Cretaceous 
  formation 
  occur 
  tlie 
  great 
  coal 
  deposits 
  in 
  New 
  Zea- 
  

   land. 
  The 
  associated 
  flora, 
  which 
  is 
  very 
  rich 
  in 
  forms, 
  has 
  a 
  large 
  

   preponderance 
  of 
  Dicotyledonous 
  plants 
  some 
  of 
  which 
  have 
  been 
  referred 
  to 
  

   generic 
  representatives 
  of 
  the 
  existing 
  flora 
  of 
  this 
  country, 
  forty 
  different 
  

   species 
  being 
  distinguished. 
  

  

  The 
  upper 
  -Cretaceous 
  and 
  Eocene 
  formations 
  (Cretaceo-tertiary) 
  are 
  

   blended 
  and 
  continuous 
  in 
  sequence 
  and 
  altogether 
  of 
  marine 
  origin 
  ; 
  but 
  in 
  

   some 
  districts 
  the 
  sections 
  are 
  incomplete 
  in 
  their 
  lower 
  sub-divisions, 
  and 
  

   the 
  coal 
  series, 
  if 
  present, 
  is 
  overlaid 
  immediately 
  by 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  upper 
  

   sub 
  -divisions, 
  indicating 
  a 
  probable 
  continuity 
  of 
  land 
  surface 
  in 
  some 
  parts 
  

   of 
  the 
  area 
  throughout 
  the 
  entu'e 
  period. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  Miocene 
  there 
  is 
  again 
  evidence 
  of 
  wide-spread 
  land 
  surfaces 
  in 
  

   the 
  South 
  Island, 
  at 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  gravel 
  deposits 
  that 
  represent 
  all 
  

   the 
  subsequent 
  formations 
  in 
  that 
  area 
  ; 
  but 
  in 
  the 
  North 
  Island 
  the 
  

   Miocene 
  and 
  lower 
  Pliocene 
  formations 
  are 
  marine, 
  the 
  upper 
  Pliocene 
  

   being 
  a 
  lignitiferous 
  series, 
  associated 
  with 
  pumice 
  sands. 
  The 
  flora 
  of 
  the 
  

   tertiary 
  period 
  is 
  badly 
  preserved, 
  and 
  the 
  collections 
  are 
  scanty 
  ; 
  but 
  as 
  far 
  

   as 
  yet 
  studied, 
  it 
  bears 
  a 
  very 
  close 
  affinity 
  to 
  the 
  recent 
  flora 
  of 
  the 
  

   country. 
  

  

  12. 
  " 
  On 
  the 
  Fossil 
  Brachiopoda 
  of 
  New 
  Zealand," 
  by 
  Dr. 
  Hector, 
  

  

  ABSTRACT. 
  

  

  The 
  lower, 
  secondary, 
  and 
  upper 
  Palaeozoic 
  formations 
  of 
  New 
  Zealand, 
  

   afford 
  a 
  remarkable 
  abundance 
  of 
  Brachiopoda 
  belonging 
  to 
  the 
  family 
  

   SpiriferidcB, 
  and 
  the 
  examination 
  of 
  them 
  has 
  led 
  to 
  the 
  discovery 
  of 
  several 
  

   forms, 
  possessing 
  characters 
  hitherto 
  undescribed, 
  and 
  has, 
  besides, 
  proved 
  

   that 
  several 
  well-known 
  genera 
  have 
  a 
  much 
  greater 
  vertical 
  range 
  than 
  has 
  

   hitherto 
  been 
  assigned 
  to 
  them. 
  

  

  Thus 
  the 
  peculiar 
  sub-genus 
  of 
  Terebratula 
  represented 
  by 
  the 
  typical 
  

   Epithyris 
  clongata, 
  which 
  has 
  previously 
  been 
  recorded 
  only 
  from 
  Permian 
  

   and 
  Carboniferous 
  strata, 
  is 
  abundant 
  in 
  the 
  Liassic 
  (Bastion) 
  series, 
  and 
  

   extends 
  downwards 
  to 
  the 
  upper 
  Silurian 
  formation. 
  

  

  In 
  dealing 
  with 
  those 
  Spiriferidse 
  distinguished 
  by 
  the 
  possession 
  of 
  a 
  

   punctate 
  shell 
  structure 
  and 
  a 
  strong 
  mesial 
  septum 
  in 
  the 
  ventral 
  valve, 
  it 
  

   has 
  been 
  found 
  convenient 
  to 
  restrict 
  the 
  genus 
  Spiriferina 
  to 
  the 
  middle 
  

   secondary 
  forms, 
  having 
  rounded 
  cardinal 
  angles, 
  and 
  a 
  moderately 
  extended 
  

   hinge-line 
  as 
  in 
  Spiriferina 
  ivalcoti, 
  and 
  S. 
  rostratus, 
  while 
  Professor 
  Konig's 
  

   name 
  of 
  Trigonotreta 
  has 
  been 
  revived 
  for 
  the 
  Permian 
  species, 
  in 
  which 
  

   the 
  hinge-line 
  is 
  greatly 
  produced, 
  and 
  forms 
  acute 
  processes, 
  as 
  the 
  New 
  

   Zealand 
  forms 
  clearly 
  support 
  the 
  generic 
  distinctions 
  relied 
  on 
  in 
  Professor 
  

   King's 
  monograph 
  on 
  the 
  Permian 
  Fossils 
  of 
  England. 
  Thus, 
  while 
  the 
  

   general 
  form 
  is 
  that 
  of 
  Spirifera, 
  the 
  shell 
  shows 
  a 
  distinctly 
  punctate 
  

  

  a38 
  

  

  