14 THE OREGON NATURALIST. 



way of light, opalescent in hue, leads away and Imndied feet, and then at the l.ase gradnally 

 away over the expanse of the water, until it stretching out to the river iiy a rocky incline, 

 seems to unite itself to the glow of the sun in The perpendicular rock shows on its surf ice 

 the distance. Tiny white sails cross and re- immense vertical columns extending the entire 

 cross and sail down again toward the light from height and which seem like mighty buttresses 

 the sun, while the Hills loom up, solemn and P'-'^ced there by nature to ward off further des- 

 grand in deep purple shades and are crowned tniction of the great Indwark. Although I 

 by gold bands from the fast sinking sun. "ever have heard it sa stated, from the appear- 

 Once again, during the October days, the ^"^e I am of the opinion that ihise columns 

 Palisades assume a yet novel aspect. Of all fire but "joints," (to use a Geo'ogicnl term) as 

 their glories this is the culmination. For in Hie jointed stru^uie occurs commonly in trap 

 October, the foliage of the trees which clothe ™'^'^ formation. 



their side and crown the summit, is changed to ^^ ^^^ summer seasons when the Palisades 



red and gold, and the old Palisad?s stand ^''^ '''S^'" rovered with verdure, signs of life 



gloriously forth, one glowing, gorgeous mount- "»'' business may always be noticed, not only 



ain. So, indeed, the reader will now perceive '" H^*^ villages nestled between the mountains 



why it is that I exclaim,- "How describe the as mentioned before but all along the scattered 



beautiful Palisades of the Hudson to you?" But roads which wind in and out, up the pre- 



a few pertinent facts must be related which will cipitous mountain sides, only made visible to 



give a clearer Geol gical conception of their sightseers on the opposite banks at occasional 



appearance. The Palisades proper, as has "penings among the trees, where the road 



been said, consist of a nearly perpendicular -ippears white and ribbon like, in its 



wall of trap rock some three or four hundred ^''s'.ant windings. Along at the summit 



feet in height, and extending for twenty miles of'he cliffs, are palatial homes, all partly hid- 



northward from New York City along the "-'en f'om view by the fiinge like trees on t!ie 



banks of the Hudson River. The Palisades Palisade's crest. Then again, along the further 



following apparently the river's course bend in bank of the Hudson at the bise of the cliffs, 



and out, occasionally throwing forward a rocky ''"e cottages, farms, immense summer hotels 



promon-.ory in the form of a single precipice ^n^^ Peaces of business l)uilt close to the river 



overlooking the expanse of the water. Inother bunk. 



localities, may be seen breaks in the precipice, -'^>1 ^^is land on which ihey stand has been 

 where the slopes of two adjacent hill-sides made by gradual deposition, fron age to age, of 

 shelter pretty farmsand sometimes even villages, loosened material brought down from the 

 But in general the Palisades stretch out one un- Palisade's side and the heights above and to 

 broken line of rocks in winter, and green ^^^^t is also due the verdure which so complete- 

 mantled in the summer season. In exceptional ^V h'^es the rock during the greater part of the 

 localities mry be seen at all seasons of the year, year, 

 the rock completely bare and dark, extending "^" °^'^^" '^"'"<^'- °" '''"'^'s" '^°'^'' 



. In iands across the seas, 



m a peipendicula.1 plane to the rivers brmk where fmd, throughout the whole wide world. 



apparently. But this sight is now rare. In the Old rocks so grand as these." 



wintertime when the leaves have all fallen — Anon. 



away, leaving the precipice as a background, 



against which the collective tree trunks and 



branches stand forth with an ashen gray tint, What will probably be the most complete 



seems the suitable time for carefully noting the list ever published on the "Birds of Kodiak 



structure of the rock mass. This is seen to be Island," by Bretherton, with notes, will soon 



entirely perpendicular for heights of over a b e begun in the columns of this paper. 



