THE HAMILTON ASSOCIATION. 73 



siderablt; attention since the publication of " Man and the Glacial 

 Period." But while one may notice a difference of opinion among 

 the able scientific men — the Wrights, Holmes, Leveretts, Claypoles, 

 Salisburys, Uphams — on one point, all agree that the drift and 

 boulders from the north were undoubtedly transported by land ice, 

 and were derived originally from the Canadian Highlands. The 

 writers above named have omitted to afford us information respecting 

 the size of the Archaean rocks observed so far south in the boulder 

 till. This term is seldom used by geologists on this continent. The 

 stiff blue clay, charged with masses of stone of various weights, is 

 known best in the Old Country by this name, and the material resting 

 on the chert and underlaying the Burlington Heights sand gravel 

 and water-worn shingle and boulders precisely agrees with the 

 European boulder till so frequently mentioned by Sir A. Geikie. 



In referring to "The Great Ice Age" at the conclusion of a 

 paper read at the late meeting, I alluded to a local " Moraine " close 

 to the Barton school-house and toll-gate that is merely one of a 

 series of mounds irregularly parallel to the stone road, extending to 

 the Kerr farm on the Glanford road, and perhaps beyond. The 

 material consists chiefly of coarse sand, clay, Niagara limestones 

 (similar to the ones at Lime Ridge), fragments of chert and occasion- 

 ally rounded weathered boulders (of rather small dimensions), of 

 Gneiss, greenstone, etc. 



The different theories regarding the phenomena presented by 

 the great ice age are known to all the older members of the Geologi- 

 cal Section. The astronomical theory regarding the cause which led 

 to appearances in post-tertiary days has even now defenders in 

 Europe, while it certainly appears to be discredited generally on this 

 continent by leading geologists. If " an ice age " was developed at 

 the termination of every ten or twelve thousand years, they ask, 

 surely we must see sufficient proof in the older rocks, from " the 

 Cambrians " upward. Why not produce any evidence that may 

 show such was obtainable? We might point to "the Millstone Grit," 

 " the Devonian Conglomerate," (capping Slieve Na Mon in Ireland), 

 or the older loose, uncemented conglomerate, which forms the foun- 

 dation of our Quebec Citadel. A granite boulder discovered in the 

 English chalk some years ago was pointed out as positive proof of 

 "a glacial age" during the time' of the cretaceous formation, because, 



