THE FRAMEWORK OF THE MOUNTAINS. 109 



the mountain under us. It is but indistinctly stratified ; but 

 we believe it was originally formed from ocean sediments. It 

 has a granitic aspect, and, in a general way, we speak of it 

 as having a granitic character. 



It is not an easy matter to travel down the slope of this 

 summit, over the loose crags, down into the border of the 

 forest, through the forest to the foot of the mountain, into 

 the lumber camps, down to the clearings, amongst the log 

 cabins, on to the village, over the highway and the railroad, 

 and ascertain at every step, what kind of rock underlies. 

 There is too much rock-rubbish, too much soil, too dense an 

 undergrowth. But the geologist must ascertain by some means. 

 How arduous are the labors by which the investigator works 

 out the geology of a wild region. To read a report of results 

 reached, as left by Professor Ebenezer Emmons, is easy ; but 

 when we visit the wilderness and test its difficulties, and re- 

 flect that Emmons wrote a description of the structure of the 

 Adirondacks forty-five years ago, we become deeply impressed 

 by the energy and skill brought into exercise by the older 

 geologists. To a great extent, the difficult work has been 

 accomplished. 



When, therefore, we descend from the summit of Mt. 

 Marcy, we come, part way down the slope, to massive gneisses. 

 They rise up into view from the lower levels. They present 

 their crumbling and hoary outcrops looking up toward the 

 summit of the mountain, as if ambitious to attain the apex, 

 but wearied and wasted, and arrested by the way. Here they 

 lie, resting on their granitic bed. All around the mountain, 

 the upward looking outcrops of gneisses occur. The head of 

 Mt. Marcy rises above the heavy blanketing of gneiss. 



Down the mountain to the lower levels we continue our 

 exploration. Here the exposed outcroppings of other gneisses 

 are seen enwrapping the lower and older ones ; here schists 

 hornblendic and micaceous come into view in succession, 

 overlying the beds whose outcrops are higher up, and all dip- 

 ping steeply down ; here is a thick bed of crystalline marble, 

 green-stained with intermingled serpentine. Here are beds of 



