86 BULLETIN OF THE NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY. 



manufacture of our liricks. A cursory glance at the map of 

 New Brunswick would lead us to think that these lake basins 

 were produced by the building up in their front of the alluvial 

 deposit of the St. John; but a more intimate knowledge of their 

 shores shows that they and the banks of the thoroughfares are 

 to a large extent composed of Leda clay. 



Furthermore, it would appear, that if a subsidence of this 

 region is in progress, it is very slow indeed. The south-west 

 shore of Maquapit Lake illustrates this point very clearly ; for 

 this lake is now encroaching on its low clay shores, uprooting 

 the vegetation along its banks, and exposing in its submerged 

 mud-ilats, the roots of the former forest ; these roots and their 

 rootlets are now cased in ferrugenous pipes, hardened in the 

 suiTOunding clay. 



A curious relic or fragment of a former thoroughfare along 

 the southern side of this lake is found in "Ring Creek," a semi- 

 circular channel which has no break in its bank toward the side 

 of the river, but has shallow outlets, at each end, to the lake. 

 The channel of the creek within the flats at the two outlets is 

 deep, but without any current at the present time. This demol- 

 ished thoroughfare is proof of a decided encroachment of the 

 lake upon its shores at the southern side. A similar condition 

 of things appears to prevail along the south-west shore of Grand 

 Lake, as flint-flakes have been found on the flats there, but no 

 investigation was made by our party. On the shallow mud-flats 

 on this side, both of Maquapit and Grand Lake, "flint" flakes 

 and implements have been found ; on the foi'mer lake as much 

 as a furlong from the shore. 



The facts observed indicates a very slow and gradual sinking 

 of the land in this region, leaving the stone relics on the mud 

 and sand at the bottom of the advancing lake ; it thus encroached 

 upon the yielding shores, and removed what traces there might 

 be, of aboriginal camping sites. 



Leading from Maquapit into French Lake are two thorough- 

 fares of which that nearest the river is bordered by high banks 

 of alluvium, and only at the ends shows exposed banks of Leda 

 clay. The other thoroughfare, which is shallow, is kno^\'n as 

 the Blind thoroughfare, and shows banks of Leda clay all along 

 its winding course. 



The whole country around these lakes is of gently undula- 

 ting land, diversified wath low rounded hills of Boulder clay and 

 with a few gravel ridges. Over the Boulder clay is spread a 

 thick coating of Leda clay of a grey color, from which are 

 washed great numbers of pellets of iron ore, which form layers 

 as of sand alono; the shores of the lakes. 



