IPostelsia 311 



miles distant from that sea, the shore of which 

 is now its essential feature. Slowly and steadily 

 the land has sunk, the sea encroached upon it, 

 and inch by inch as the milleniums have passed,, 

 the waves have worn and carved their way until 

 now Port Renfrew is an excellent harbor for the 

 largest ships and the Station is at the contact 

 zone of land and water. 



Walking out upon the beach in front of the 

 laboratories at the Station one steps upon hard^ 

 shaly rocks, black in color and of harsh feel. 

 The first noticeable feature is the extremely 

 rough surface they present (Plate XXVI). This 

 arises partly from their unequal hardness, readily 

 noted by tearing fragments loose, and partly from 

 the inclined position which the formation has as- 

 sumed with reference to the surface of the sea. 

 The softer laminae are readily worn away by 

 the waves and their places are shown by the 

 deepening, slanting grooves everywhere seen 

 upon this wave-washed rock. The hard laminae 

 on the other hand are c|uite crystalline. They 

 present the hardness of metamorphic rocks to 

 the touch and thus are very uncomfortable to- 



