26 



At Enclid Avenue, the stream emerges from a gorge 

 about one hundred feet deep, and flows northward, 

 meandering across the former bed of Lake Erie to the 

 present shore line. 



We turned our attention on this excursion to the 

 part of the stream south of the avenue, where it has 

 dissected the plateau which was formerly the plain 

 bordering the lake. 



We followed the stream and were soon within the 

 gorge, and stood upon the surface of a flood-plain a 

 quarter of a mile wide, into which the stream had cut 

 a trench about ten feet deep. 



First we gave our our attention to the stream. It 

 contained but little water at this time; although we 

 could see that it contained more in times of high 

 water. Its bed was the horizontal shale rock, and 

 upon this were scattered boulders which had been 

 washed out from the drift and brought along by the 

 stream. Its banks were steep and overhanging where 

 the curve of the stream threw the water against them, 

 while ihe opposite banks were low and shelved toward 

 the water where tongues of new-made land had been 

 deposited in the quieter eddies. 



The stream was at work ; and by setting sticks 

 afloat we quickly saw the course of the water as it set 

 now toward one bank, now toward the opposite one, 

 in the smaller curves. This led us to observe the wider 

 sv^eeps from side to side of the entire valley. About 

 midway of the length of the gorge, it crossed com- 

 pletely from the base of one bluff to that of the other, 

 with intervening smaller meanders. Upon the peninsu- 

 las thus formed were patches of vineyard, which 

 showed us the agricultural value of the alluvial soil of 

 the flood-plain. Where the stream touched the base of 

 eithei blufl", there was a sheer ascent of the full height 

 of the valley wall. 



The stratified shales had been cut as with a knife; 

 and so far had weathering progressed, that two active 

 boys ascended half way to the top by digging their 



