GEOGRAPHY AND NATURAL HISTORY OF THE TOBIQUE. 21 



Odell River, an important lumbering branch, which 

 -enters about seven miles below Wapskehegan, is the next 

 large stream. Its waters rise within a mile or two of the south- 

 west Mirimichi. 



On the opposite side of the river is Arthurette, the nearest 

 approach to a town, on the Tobique, for the original eighty 

 rod lots have in some cases been subdivided in passing from 

 father to children, so as to leave only a narrow strip with 

 each house. 



The Arthurette Flat is one of the most extensive on the 

 river. A '* bogan," or back-water creek, runs for some distance 

 behind the flat, and a large peat bog is found there also- 

 both good collecting grounds for the botanist. 



The Red Rapids commeoce a little below Arthurette, and 

 within a couple of miles are several low falls caused by ridges 

 of red conglomerate rock crossing the river at these points. 



A couple of miles below Red Rapids the alluvial land ends. 

 High banks and precipitous rocks encroach on the river from 

 both sides until we reach the valley of the St. John. 



The last mile of this passage is called the '" Narrows." 

 Here the river rushes through a narrow rift in the rocks, 

 which rise on each side abouli one hundred feet. In spring 

 the rapids are a fine sight, and when the water is at its height, 

 impassable for boats or rafts. 



Qeologt. 



The geological structure of the Tobique region consists 

 primarily of a basin of Lower Carboniferous rocks in the midst 

 of a large tract of the Silurian age. Along the southern 

 border of this tract masses of granite appear, flanked by belts 

 of pre-Cambrian and Ordovician. 



The Silurian region includes the whole of the north-west- 

 ern part of the province, with the adjacent parts of Quebec 

 and Maine ; but in places its strata are overlaid and concealed 

 by rocks of newer age, such as Devonian or Lower Carboni- 

 ferous. It forms the ** fertile belt" of New Brunswick and 



