The Siskiyou Island. 37 



It is just here at the dawn of a new chap- 

 ter in the life record of the region, that the 

 geological history of this Siskiyou island 

 opens to the collector of fossils its richest rec- 

 ords. Slowly the drifting currents of the sur- 

 rounding ocean brought to the shores of this 

 newly elevated island the eggs and seeds of sea 

 and land, to open there into life under new 

 conditions and environment. The beaches 

 upon which these lodged were rough and in- 

 hospitable. The sea shells that just struggled 

 for life, are found strangely cradled among 

 rough sharp pebbles, for soil and mud were 

 scarce as yet. 



The mass of conglomerate rock photo- 

 graphed on Plate III finely describes this 

 opening stage of a new geological period. 

 It is from the base of the newer deposits 

 around the island. The pebbles it contains are 

 fragments of the older, the changed rocks of 

 the island, broken off from its cliffs, worn par- 

 tially smooth by the tossings of the surf, 

 mixed with fragments of shells and then 

 cemented into this conglomerate. The shell 



