Postelsta 2 let 
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. 
ihe irst noticeable feature is: the extremely 
rough surface they present (Plate XX VI). 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 lamine 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 lamine 
on the other hand are quite crystalline. They 
present the hardness of metamorphic rocks to 
the touch and thus are very uncomfortable to 
