290 Canadian Record of Science. 



Though thus, structurally considered, the district of the 

 foot-hills may be regarded as a portion of the folded moun- 

 tain region, it has characters of its own. 



This district presents long ridges, or hills arranged in 

 linear series, the positions of which have been determined 

 by those of the harder sandstone beds. Between these are 

 wide valleys in which the smaller streams course, while the 

 larger rivers, with their sources in the mountains, generally 

 cut across nearly at right angles. Though very well 

 marked south of the Old Man Eiver, these ridges are there 

 generally rather low, and the prairie may be said to spread 

 up to the very base of the mountains, the proportion of 

 wooded country being quite small. North of the North 

 Fork of the Old Man Eiver, however, the hills and ridges 

 are higher and more abrupt, and the wooded areas become 

 more considerable, till about the Highwood Eiver and Sheep 

 Creek, extensive forests, interspersed with tracts of burnt 

 woods, render the foot of the mountains well nigh un- 

 approachable, except along the river valleys. The increased 

 height of the foot-hill region in this vicinity is co-ordinate 

 with a greater elevation in the base-level of the mountains, 

 which here attains its maximum — the levels at which the 

 Highwood and Elbow Rivers emerge from the mountains 

 being approximately 4780 and 4800 feet respectively. The 

 streams which leave the mountains at the lowest levels, are 

 the South and Middle Forks of the Old Man, and the Row 

 River. The two first may be considered as together occu- 

 pying a structural break in the front of the range, and 

 have a level at this point of little over 4150 feet. The 

 Bow River, but for its greater size and erosive power, which 

 have enabled it to produce a great valley, would probably 

 have had a much greater elevation at its exit from the 

 mountains. Its actual height at this point is 4170 feet. 



Where the summits of the foot-hills are not crested by 

 outcropping ledges of sandstone, their outlines are generally 

 rounded and flowing. The parallel valleys contain a deep, 

 rich, black soil, and under the influence of a sufficiently 

 abundant l-ainfall, the vegetation is wonderfully luxuriant. 

 Few regions in a state of nature can compare with the 

 southern portion of the foot-hills in beauty. 



