MANITOBA. AND THE NORTHWEST. 87 
fourths of an inch in diameter. The gravel is well rounded, and consists of Laurentian 
and limestone pebbles not dissimilar from those usually found in a corresponding posi- 
tion in other parts of this district. The “hard pan,” while evidently representing the 
boulder-clay, is unusually pale in colour, being apparently largely composed of limestone 
debris. The thickness of the boulder-clay is also much less than usual. Its microscopic 
character has already been described, in connection with that of other similar materials of 
the same age, in a paper presented to the Chicago Academy of Sciences.’ The predominent 
mineral constituents which remain, after the finer clayey matter has been washed 
away, are rather coarse quartz grains, of which nearly one-half are perfectly rounded. 
Bottle-green fragments of hornblende are moderately abundant, as are also grains of fel- 
spar and limestone, but comminuted shaly materials are almost altogether wanting. It 
also contains a few specimens of foraminifera, which have been derived from some not 
far distant Cretaceous beds. These include a Textularia of the type of T. globulosa, with 
fragments of Rotalidæ and other forms. 
Of the deposit described as “ boulders” no specimens were obtained. 
The beds underlying these superficial deposits, from No. 6 to No. 13 inclusive, are 
supposed to represent the Maquoketa shales. Their character is as follows :— 
No. 6. This is a moderately firm greyish-green shale, with minute reddish laminæ 
and some thin films of pyrites parallei to the bedding. It is not calcareous, and under the 
microscope is found to contain a considerable proportion of partially rounded quartz 
grains, but no fragments were observed of hornblende or other green or dark minerals 
usually found in the boulder-clays and other drift deposits. 
No. 7. This limestone is cream or buff coloured, and rather coarse. It effervesces 
freely in cold dilute acid. It is, apparently, easily friable, as the sample received was in 
the form of coarse sand. 
No. 8. A soft shale of general reddish colour, but holding also purplish and greenish 
layers, and showing under the microscope much subangular grit. 
No. 9. Resembles No. 6, and is a rather firm yellowish-grey shale, showing under the 
microscope a considerable proportion of partly-rounded, somewhat coarse quartz sand in a 
brownish argillaceous matrix. 
No. 10. The specimen of this rock consisted largely of cream-coloured limestone in 
small fragments, but more than half of it is of coarse quartz sand. This might have 
been derived from the friction of the boring rods against the upper portion of the 
sides of the hole, but is unlike any met with in the overlying deposits. It is probably 
interbedded with the limestone, but no calcareous cement was observed to adhere to the 
grains. The sample included one small piece (about half an inch long) of coarsely granular 
whitish gypsum. 
No. 11. This is a fine-grained calcareous sandstone or sandy shale, rather hard, and 
noticeably finer and more siliceous than No. 6. The only organic traces met with in these 
rocks were found in this layer. They consist of thin, dark-coloured corneous-looking 
laminæ seen on the surfaces of small fragments. Portions which were removed, and 
microscopically examined, showed occasional regularly disposed systems of bifurcating 
canals, closely resembling some of those figured and described by Bowerbank as occur- 

? Bulletin, Chic. Acad. Sci., No. 8, Vol. i, 1885. 
