G8 BULLETIN OF THE NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY. 



tance. From Springfield to Oromocto few occur, from Oromocta 

 to Oak Point they are large and numerous, and below Oak Point 

 there are but few. 



IV. Points to be Ascertained. 



While the St. John offers no such striking phenomena as the 

 Petitcodiac and other streams near the head of the Bay of Fundy, 

 yet, when its great size and remarkable outlet and the striking 

 tides of St. John harbour are considered, it should, from the 

 tidal standpoint, be one of the most interesting of rivers. A 

 comprehensive study of its tides at various representative points 

 should tells us: (1) The difference of time between high water 

 and low water at such points and high water and low water at 

 St. John. (2) The proportion which the range of tide bears to 

 the corresponding tide at St. John. (3) The nature of the tidal 

 rise and fall. (4) The effects of varying ci^oss-section, depth, 

 presence of islands and tributaries on the extent and time of 

 tide. (5) The effect of the remarkable outlet. (6) The effect 

 of varying depth of I'iver with changing seasons on the pi'eced- 

 ing. (7) The effect of winds. There is at present practically 

 no information, at least in print, to be had on any of the above 

 points. To get anything like complete data, on even one of the 

 above points, would demand much time and patience. What 

 follows can onl}^ pretend to be somewhat disjointed information 

 on nearly all of the above heads. It must be remembered that 

 all of the following notes were made at low summer level. 

 Towards the end of the summer of 1896 the river fell to a very 

 low level. To fix the level by a semi-permanent reference point, 

 on August 9th I found mean water level of Fredericton to be 

 twenty-four feet two inches below the south-west corner of the 

 west pier of the iron railway bridge. From tlie levellings of 

 the New Brunswick railway, Mr. Moses Burpee found that a 

 certain reference point at Fredericton was forty-four feet t(Mi 

 inches above mean sea-level at St John. Prof. Dixon has kindly 

 aidefl me by levelling from IVIr. Burpee's reference point to the 

 <"orner of the pier mentioned, and finding the latter to be three- 



