QUATERNARY FOSSIL FAUNAS, OVERLAPPING TAPHONOMIES, AND PALAEOFAUNAL RECONSTRUCTION IN NORTH CANTERBURY, SOUTH ISLAND, NEW-ZEALAND

This paper describes the late Quaternary fossil fauna from the area wi thin a 10 km radius of Waikari, North Canterbury, New Zealand. Fossils from a pitfall deposit (Waikari Cave), ten predator sites attributed to laughing owls Sceloglaux albifacies (notably Ardenest, Gowan Hills Owl site, and P. Lamb's Owl site), five swamp sites (notably Pyramid V alley and Glencrieff), and three archaeological sites, contributed mos t of the data. A few specimens came from coalluvial deposits in rock s helters. A small fauna is described from alluvial deposits along Home Creek, near Waipara. The age of these faunas includes the Late Pleisto cene (Otira Glacial) for the Home Creek fauna, Late Glacial - early Ho locene for Glencrieff, and Late Holocene for Pyramid Valley swamp, Wai kari Cave, and all predator sites. Some of the predator sites accumula ted fauna until late in the nineteenth century.