2 University of Michigan 



Andrews, coleopterist of the expedition. This material to- 

 gether with the results of the writer's work in the following 

 season form the basis of this report. 



Location and General Features oe the Region 



Whitefish Point extends into the southern end of Lake 

 Superior, its tip lying some thirty-four miles northeast of 

 Sault Sainte Marie. Its base is rather indefinite but for pur- 

 poses of this work may be arbitrarily fixed as extending from 

 Vermillion on the north beach to the Shelldrake River and 

 down this river to the village of Shelldrake. 



All of the Whitefish Point country is low, and of compara- 

 tively recent development through combined wave, current 

 and wind action ; it is made up entirely of sandy ridges or old 

 dunes and extensive swamp areas. It is only in the swamps 

 or just bordering them that humus of any depth has accumu-" 

 lated. Reference to the accompanying sketch map will best 

 explain general features of the more recently developed por- 

 tions where practically all of the collections were made. 



The low sand and sand-gravel ridges are more prominent 

 and higher near the base of the Point than elsewhere and 

 usually parallel the beach. They have elevations of from ten 

 to thirty feet, while the extensive swampy and marshy tracts 

 are but little above lake level. According to Leverett (Surface 

 Geolog)' of the Northern Peninsula, Geological Survey of 

 Michigan, Pub. 7, 191 1), many of these low sandy ridges were 

 developed at the time of the Nipissing Great Lakes, the last 

 of the old glacial lakes. 



Since the last change in lake level considerable altering of 

 shore line has occurred. This is evident on the north shore 

 where rather high sand banks have been cut into in places, 

 and that it is even progressing rapidly at the present time is 



