SO.MK LOCAL I )K TAILS. Jg;j 



III lilt' I'li'istocciM' |H'ii,,(l tlir viillcy i>( ihc Miin;iv Imv 

 rivci' li;is liccii tilled, iiIuKisldi' ((iiitc to l,||,. I,.\,.l ,,1' the 

 liiy'iii'st icrracc, willi ,-iii ('iioriiKuisly lliick mass of luud 

 :mtl iMMildcrs, washed iVoiu the land and deposiied in the 

 SL'il-hed dlll'iliL;- the IdllL;' perind dl' I'leistoceile suhlliei nvnce. 

 Thn.u-li this mass the dec], \allev n|' thi' ii\-er has heeii 

 '■i''- '•'"• 'Ik' <'lii,v, dejii'i\(Ml i,{ suiijioit and ivstin^ im 

 inclined snrl'aees, has sli[)|)ed dduiiward, f<iiniin,n' sLiaiieely 

 .sliiiijcd sldpes, and outlyiiiu' masses, that have in some 

 instances hceii moulded l)y the leeediiin' waves, or j.y ih,. 

 sulisefiiienL action of the wealher, into conical mounds, so 

 vcyular that it is dillieult to con\inee many of the visitors 

 to Ihe hay that I hey are not ailitieial. Sii' \V. Iv Ij.n'an. 

 Ill liis rei.orl on the district, has, in my view, ,-iven tlie 

 true t'xi.laiiatioii of these mounds, which may he seen in 

 all sta^L^cs of formation on the iieiuhhouriiiu' hill-sides. 

 Their ctlcct to a geological eye is to give to this heautiful 

 valley an uiilinished as[)ect,as if the time elapsed since its 

 elevation had not l>een surtieieiit to allow its slopes to 

 attain to their fully rounded contour. This ap])earaiiee is 

 no douht due to the enormous thickness of the de])osit of 

 Pleistocene mud, to the uneven surfaces of the underlvino- 

 rock, and possihly also in [.art tu the eartlKiuake shocks 

 which have visited this region. 



At the mouth of the Murray i'.ay river, the boulder- 

 clay rests directly on the striated rock-surfaces, and 

 IS a true till, filled with the Laurentian stones and 

 boulders of the inland hills, though resting on Cambro- 

 Siliirian limestone. It is evidently marine, since it 

 contains shells of Lctla glucialk ; and many of the stones 

 are coated with lUyozoa and Spirorl)is. It is also observ- 

 able that on the X.E. sides of the limestone ridges the 

 boulders are more numerous and larger. Above the 



