The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1894-01-06

examined this closely and may b.
mistaken ab0ut its origin, bnt At j:
easy ~ Sc. how such a cast might bt
formed
Tufa formations, more frequently
than lava, may preserve impression.
or organic remaIus, or even the oh
Jects themselves, ''petrifed" In the
usual manner. There is in Makikj
valley, at the base of Mount Tanta
lus, (Puu Ohia) deposit of volcanic
sand which has become partially
compacted into coarse grained sand
stone This contains many fragments
OF wood partially silicified I doubt
whether the species of the plants
represented could be determined, but
they are at least veritable fossils.
The formation is so recent and
superficial that it may besafely as
sumed that the remains are those of
such plants as still grow in the neigh
borhood.
In the tufa near Moanalua there
are found numerous remains of a
similar character, mostly the stems
and roots of shrubs. The woody
structure has been very imperfectly
preserved, and the formation is again
unquestionably quite recent, but we
are encouraged to hope that speci-
mems may be found more perfect in
structure and of greater age.
One must guard against installing
for the remains of roots or branc hes
of trees certain curious products re-
sulting from the action of inorganic
forces. 1 have been not little puz-
81 10
of some OF these pseudo fossils,
which I find under such variety of
conditions that I am forced to con-
clude that they may be formed in
several different ways. The most
common form appears to be produced
by the penetration, following the
course perhaps of decayed root, of
water charged with animal matter
Sometimes the root itself seems to
have acted chemically on surround
ing material. causing it to become
cemented together. Escaping steam
may some times produce like effect,
and it is not impossible that light
ming strokes may have been, in some
instances, the cause.
Sediplentary formations are not
wholly wanting even in these volcanic
islands, and it is in these especially
that we might hope to find occasion
ly included fossil remains. The great
er part of the clay formations that
have resulted from the weathering of
our lavas, have been deposited,
owing to the steepness of the land
slopes, in the ocean where they are
beyond our reach. When such de-
To .
has been always where they are liable |
to be carried away again as erosion
progresses, and besides the material |
of sedimentary deposits in our
streams consists chiefly of rock par |
ticles which, however fine, have !
not reached a stable condition |
yet chemically, as those of the clays
and silicious sands of older countries
have. We can scarcely hope, there
fore, to learn much from this source
of the extinct fauna and flora of the |
Islands
Of the marine fauna, we may learn
more possibly, since the lime stone
formations, which include them do
preserve for an indefinite time the
remains imbedded therein, but these
lie for the most part where they were
formed at depth that makes them
Calcareous deposits on land have
occasionally preserved remains, es-
pecially of shells which may possibly
hold some OF the secrets we have
sought in vain elsewhere. Such de-
posits have been formed occasionally
on somewhat large scale, as, e. g., in
the crater of Diamond Head, where
the crusts are some times several
inches thick, but the conditions of
their formation were such that they
were not likely to include organic re-
mains very frequently, and I ques-
ton whether there exist such deposits
of any considerable antiquity.
I have myself found interesting
fossils in fair state of preservation
in several places. One OF the most
localities is at Moanalua,
where a stratum of sandstone made
up of disintegrated tufa fragments
is filed with leaf Impressions which
are, some of them, exceedingly per
feet It would not be difficult to dis
tinguish by the veining and other
characters of the leaves the species
to which they belong, for they must
be such as are still extant.
The tufa conglomerate at the base
of Diamond Head, which seems to
have been formed by the action of
water flowing from calcareous hot
springs higher up, is rich in fossil
shells, which belong to species that
now seek the shelter of cool, damp
woods. We cannot imagine them
living under conditions any thing
like those now prevailing there. It
is possible that the dampness of the
rocks over which water constantly
trickled might supply all that was
needed without shelter of shrubbery,
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