10 BULLETIN OF THE NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY. 



In describing; the Trap disfrict Dr. Gesner began at the 

 western end, at Brier Island, and as Messrs. Jackson and Alger 

 began at the same point the two descriptions are very similar as 

 far as Peters Point, eastward of Digby Gut, where the exploration 

 of the last named writers ceased, so far as the Bay of Fundy is 

 concerned. East of this at French Cross Dr. Gesner had the 

 good fortune to discover the red sandstone cropping out fi'om 

 below the amygdaloid and trap at low water mark. Along tliis 

 shore as far as Black Rock, Dr. Gesner found beautiful crystals 

 of calcai'eous spar, heulandite, laumonite, stilbite, analcime and 

 other zeolites. Here also he found pi'ehnite [a rare mineral in 

 the Nova Scotian trap]. 



In the vicinity of Parrsboro, where Dr. Gesner appears to 

 have spent some time, more careful explorations were made and 

 a variety of rocks and minerals were observed. From this con- 

 venient centre he made excursions in various directions ; visiting 

 the high cliffs of Blomidon, along whose base a variety of agates 

 and zeolites are found ; in a westerly direction he visited the 

 broken shore by Spencer's Island and Cape d'Or, collecting native 

 copper, etc., from the trap ; he did not find at Cape Chignecto 

 the large area of trap rocks described by Jackson and Alger ; in 

 the opposite direction he explored the north shore of Minas Basin, 

 studded with small islands and projecting points of trap. 



Our author was greatly impi'essed by the noble scenery along 

 the northwestern coast of Nova Scotia, and takes great delight in 

 describing the peculiarities of this basaltic range — the columns 

 of the trap and the step-like successive layers ; the crumbling 

 cliflFs of amygdaloid and the varied and beautiful minerals it 

 contains. He supposes these minerals to have been introduced 

 into the amygdaloid by the agency of heat, either by igneous 

 fusion,* or l)y sublimation.! These views would hardly be ac- 

 cepted at the present day, especially as regards the zeolites. 



The theories presented in this work by Dr. Gesner show an 

 extensive accjuaintance with the writings of the earlier geologists. 

 We find him (juoting the geological works of Buffbn, Wernci', 



* Pp. 180, 192 and 286. + Pp. 218, 241. 



