148 BULLETIN: MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY. 
EvIDENCES оғ ELEVATION. 
While the evidences of depression stand out boldly in the topog- 
raphy and geography of the Brazilian coast, —so much so that by an 
inspection of the maps alone geographers who have never visited the 
region have been able to interpret them, — yet there are here and there 
evidences of a late elevation. 
This elevation, however, was a feeble one as compared with the 
depression. Although the uplift was the later movement of the two, 
the marks of it are not so abundant or so bold as are those of the great 
depression, The evidence of the elevation is here brought together. 
Reference should again be made to what was considered by Capanema 
and Liais as evidence of an uplift of the Brazilian coast. These matters 
have already been disposed of on pp. 118 to 125. Unfortunately, out of 
seven classes of facts brought forward by these writers the only one that 
has any claim to attention in support of the theory of elevation is one 
given by Capanema as islands joined to the mainland, and possibly that 
of coastal lakes. But even in these cases islands joined to the land 
and coast lakes cannot be accepted in support of the theory of elevation 
unless they have the characteristics of islands and lakes produced by 
elevation. Islands are joined to the land after depressions as well as 
by elevations, and coast lakes are formed along depressed coasts quite as 
readily as along elevated ones. In order to know how islands have 
been joined to the mainland, and how lakes have been formed, it is 
necessary to know something of the local geology and geography. In 
the absence of such knowledge the islands and lakes, excepting the 
cases already cited, must be left out of the discussion. 
The ‘evidence of elevation collected by the author consists of: 
1. Elevated sea beaches; 2. Elevated sea-urchin burrows; 3. Death 
and decay of the coral reefs. These will be treated in this order. 
1. Elevated beaches, State of Alagóas. — Tatuamínha is a small village 
on the south side of a river of the same name that enters the Atlantic in 
S. lat. 9° 16’, State of Alagóas. South of the village a flat bit of 
country from one to two kilometres wide lies between the Tertiary hills 
inland and the sea-coast. Mangrove swamps cut into this flat land at 
several places, but most of it is covered with very calcareous sand con- 
taining vast quantities of marine molluscan shells, such as are only found 
living on the open coast. No note was made of the elevation of this 
plain above tide-level, but my recollection of it is that it is from one to 
three metres. 
