observed that the next rocks seen on the road-line, to the S.E. of the disappearance of the Upper Pohui limestone, were light grey sandy beds, very much resembling those seen to the N.W. of the Lower Pohui limestone on the fall from the Saddle into the Mohaka Valley, and these might be brought into this position by a fault or unconformity; but, were this so, the overlying brown sands and conglomerate would yet have to show evidence of unconformity, and I could discover none.

Further to the E. and S.E. the section has already been described by previous observers, and I need not here detail it.

Grey and brown sands and coarse sandstone conglomerates, pupa rock, and tufaceous sands, form a great series of strata before reaching the overlying shelly-limestones of Petane and the coast range to the N.E. of the Lower Esk. Between Pohui Lake and the coast there may be 2,000, 3,000, or even 4,000 feet of strata; its exact measure is not at present of importance, it being admitted on all hands that collectively there is a great thickness of strata, amounting to some thousands of feet. This, in some way, we have to consider represented in Scinde Island, and by not more than some 120 to 150 feet of strata. This is possible, but, considering the distance between the Esk Valley and Napier, barely probable.

Next we have to consider that the section from Puketapu, on the Tutaekuri River, back to the S.W. continuation of the Pohui limestone, shows no diminished thickness of the beds overlying the latter and underlying the Petane limestone, rendering it yet less probable that this great series can be represented a few miles off by so small a thickness as that of their supposed representatives in Scinde Island. Farther to the S.W., along the Ngaruroro River, from the limestone hills on the western border of the Ahuriri Plain to the lower end of the Ngaruroro Gorge, a yet greater thickness of these beds is developed; and let any one look from the offing in Hawke's Bay at the immense development of conglomerates, sands, and clays, that between Cape Kidnappers and the mouth of the Tukituki are present, and then consider that these must be fully represented in Scinde Island-if we are to regard the upper shelly limestones there the same as that found on the mainland at Petane; or, as an alternative, the lower limestones the same as the Te Aute limestone. And, in spite of liberal allowance in the way of thickening and thinning of the strata, the reasonable probabilities of the case will be, with most observers, that either the Petane limestones are not present, or, that the Te Aute limestones are absent. There is, however, a third possibility: but this has never yet suggested itself to any observer of the geology of the district, and I dare say will not now be entertained. This is: there may be a double unconformity in Scinde Island. Firstly, between the lower or supposed Te Aute limestones of Hutton; and, secondly,

1

between the Petane sands and the overlying shelly limestones, thus admitting of the reduction by denudation of the intervening beds down to the meagre thickness which they now present.

What may be the final conclusions respecting this stratigraphical difficulty I am not prepared to hazard an opinion. Meanwhile, I do not consider the upper miocene Te Aute limestone present in Scinde Island. The paleontological evidence brought forward by Captain Hutton is against this, and the evidence, as collections are added to, is likely to be strengthened rather than weakened; that is, if the Pohui limestone be the same as the lower limestone in Scinde Island, which it is asserted to be.

One difficulty in the way of regarding these rocks as of pliocene age has been the number and remarkable size of the extinct forms of Pecten found in them, which are not supposed to occur in the upper shelly limestones of admittedly pliocene age, and which occur also abundantly in the Te Aute limestone. This is by no means an insuperable difficulty, and we have only to consider them as exceptional, and in reality belonging to an older period. Looked at in that light, they would have to be excluded in arriving at the age of the beds, as determined by the percentage of living species; and were this done, all doubt of the pliocene age of the beds would be removed. There would then

be 71 per cent. of recent species found in the beds. Were these Pectens retained, and the five recent species found at Pohui added to the 15 occurring in Scinde Island, we should have a like result-viz., nearly 70 per cent. of recent species from the limestones of this horizon.

From the Lower Wairarapa Valley, N.E., to the northern part of Hawke's Bay Provincial District, the Te Aute limestones everywhere close the middle tertiary sequence, as seen in this part of the North Island. The Pareora formation of Hutton, characterised by a proportion of recent species equal to 37 per cent., should, one would think, underlie the Te Aute limestones, at least ought to underlie its supposed representative in Scinde Island, with 61 or 70 per cent. of its species recent. And yet, if we accept Captain Hutton's latest classification, we are required to suppose that the Pareora beds, containing little more than half the number of living species, are actually the older series. The Te Aute limestone cannot be made to occupy this position relative to the Pareora series, without setting aside all the evidence obtainable, both palæontological and stratigraphical; but if regarded as the highest member of that series, this would be more in accord with what is known as to its actual position. It may be the lowest member of the young tertiary sequence; more probably, along the East Coast of the North Island it closes the middle tertiary series.

V. ASTRONOMY.

ART. LIX.-The Total Eclipse of the Sun of the 9th September, 1885; being a Digest of the following Communications to the Institute on the subject:—

A. On the Total Eclipse of the Sun, 9th September, 1885. By JOHN MEESON, B.A. Read before the Nelson Philosophical Society, 2nd November, 1885.

B. On the Total Eclipse of the Sun, 9th, September 1885. By the Right Rev. Dr. SUTER, Bishop of Nelson. Read before the Nelson Philosophical Society, 2nd November, 1885.

C.-On the Total Eclipse of 9th September, 1885, as seen at Tahoraite. By JOHN GOODALL, M.I.C.E. Read before the Hawke's Bay Philosophical Institute, 14th September, 1885.

D. On the Total Eclipse of the Sun, 9th September, 1885. By A. S. ATKINSON. Read before the Nelson Philosophical Society, 2nd November, 1885.

E. On the Total Eclipse of the Sun, 9th September, 1885. By Dr. HUDSON. Read before the Nelson Philosophical Society, 2nd November, 1885.

F. Observations on the Solar Eclipse of 9th September, 1885. By A. COLEMAN. Read before the Nelson Philosophical Society, 2nd November, 1885.

Plates XIV., XV., XVI.

[NOTE BY THE EDITOR.-The section of the moon's shadow, as it swept over the earth's surface, was in the shape of an ellipse, 190 miles in length by 90 miles in width. The only land crossed by the shadow was that part of New Zealand lying in the vicinity of Cook Strait, so that the total phases could only be observed there; the line of centrality sweeping in the shape of a curve from a point half-way between Australia and New Zealand, where the sun was rising at the time of totality, to a point between Cape Horn and the South Pole, latitude 75° S., where the sun was setting at

the time of the eclipse. In New Zealand, the line of centrality passed through West Wanganui, Collingwood, D'Urville Island, and the Wairarapa, leaving the land on the East Coast at Castle Point. At all places along the line of centrality, the duration of the total phase was computed at 1′ 58′′, the time being a few seconds longer towards the east. At Castle Point, the totality commenced at 7h. 35m. 12s. a.m., New Zealand mean time; at Wellington, at 7h. 35m. 4s.; and at Nelson, at 7h. 34m. 14s. Observations of a more or less scientific nature were taken at a number of places-Tahoraite, Wairarapa, Manawatu, Wellington, Picton, Nelson, Collingwood, etc.; and a large number of papers and communications were made to the public press, and to various scientific societies, conveying the impressions of the various observers.

From a review of the observations that were made, the following conclusions were arrived at:

"Scarlet prominences were only moderately developed, and were clustered chiefly at the equatorial and polar regions of the sun. The best observers agree that the corona had a very irregular outline, and was most continuous and vivid close to the sun's limb, having the longest expansion reaching to nearly two diameters from the western equatorial region. This large expansion appears to have had a strongly marked spirally twisted structure, while all the other appendages consisted of radiating pyramids. No laminated structures appear to have been observed in any part of the corona.

"Most observers agree in describing an intensely brilliant flash or meteor, lasting for two seconds, at the commencement of totality on the eastern side of the sun, and exactly over the position of a large sun-spot that was just coming into view at a few degrees south of the sun's equator. This flash is described as having looked like a large electric lamp suspended at a little distance from the moon's edge. At the close of totality another flash, similarly bright, but not so large and pointed, was seen on the western limb of the sun, in a position corresponding with a large sun-spot that was within 1' of arc of passing over the sun's edge."*]

I. GENERAL DESCRIPTION.

Mr. John Meeson, B.A., gives the following general description of the eclipse :

"The weather was perfect, the sky almost, if not quite, cloudless, with a very light wind from the S.E.; a clear, moistureless, frosty air! My point of observation was my own garden at Woodstock, Stoke, whence, from 6.45 a.m., when the

Proc. Roy. Soc., London," 19th November, 1885, "On the Total Solar Eclipse of September 9," by Dr. Hector, F.R.S., dated 12th September, 1885.

sun-already partially obscured-rose from behind the northeastern hills, until 8.30 a.m., by which time the moon had completely passed over the solar face, the view was continuous and uninterrupted. More perfect circumstances for making valuable observations cannot well be imagined; and a sight grander and more unique than the whole eclipse it is impossible to conceive. Even as the wind falls when the shades of evening close around, the very light breeze which had been blowing in the early morning gradually died away, and darkness increased. Birds ceased their twittering, all-at all events, except some paraquets, which were evidently much startled, and broke into the most noisy chattering as the sun disappeared, and flew away, it may be supposed, to their usual night haunts. Everything else became hushed; even the human voice had, or seemed to have, an unnatural sound. All nature seemed to bow its head, and stand in mute silence as the awful spectacle passed, and until the God of Day should again emerge from his temporary seclusion. The general appearance of things at the moment of totality, which was certainly not a period of complete darkness-for a soft and 'dim, religious light' was always present was such as the observer can surely never forget. It was decidedly uncanny. The human face looked ghastly. The colours on mountain and field, on sea and sky, were weird, unearthly, and indescribable, such as one had never seen before. They had gradually deepened in hue as the eclipse proceeded, and just before totality the sky around the sun was of a dirty yellow, and quivering beams, of the colour of electric light, shot out from above and below the moon, giving it somewhat the appearance of a St. Andrew's cross with a circular centre.

"Generally speaking, during the sun's complete obscuration, the sky was of a mauve colour, except round about the luminary itself, where the intense brilliance of the silvery protuberances or the golden glory of the coronal rays diffused tints of dirty red and grey. The sea became black, the mountains across the bay iron-grey, while the sky above the latter assumed shades of dirty, ghastly yellow. A few patches of fleecy clouds hanging low over the sea took on the appearance of black cumulus heaps, and afterwards, on the emergence of the sun, donned garbs of varied colours. The lunar orb, during totality, stood out boldly, and round its limbs was a fine fringe of intense light, which glistened like diamonds; upon its surface a slight reflected light was clearly seen. After the eventful period of a minute and a few seconds had passed, there appeared, at the point of the moon's disc opposite to that which first obscured the sun-at the point, that is, where arose, as we shall afterwards see, the longest streamers of the corona and the highest prominences, a growing effulgence of light, which rapidly intensified as we watched. The prominence seemed to swell and