BRAVAIS ON LINES OF FORMER SEA-LEVEL IN FINMARK. 545 



level, and appeared identical with one described by M. Keilhau 

 as common on the coast. A little before my visit to Talvig, a 

 bluish clay had been dug out in making a small harbour or 

 basin for boats, and in this was contained fragments of dead shells 

 just like those obtained from a bed a little above, but yet more 

 perfect, and even showing the dried fragments of the animal, so 

 that we had here a bed in actual course of formation to compare 

 with one at a higher level. 



I have likewise received other shells (Patella and Venus) 

 collected near Storvig, at the western extremity of the island of 

 Soroe, in a sandy deposit a few metres above the level of the 

 sea. The elevation in this case is said to be about 30 metres. It 

 may be worth noticing that the absence of organic remains in the 

 sedimentary terraces of Sandfald, &c. is no proof that the sea did 

 not formerly reach those higher levels, since the very current of 

 fresh water to which the formation of the terrace was owing 

 would drive away the marine animals inhabiting shells. 



M. Keilhau has observed, that the subject of erratic blocks is 

 connected with that of the last changes of level of the land ; I 

 have noticed that these blocks abound in Finmark, and are there 

 of a very considerable magnitude, one of them for instance a little 

 south of Bosekop, not being less than 3 or 4 metres in height and 

 8 metres in its other dimensions. I have observed further, that 

 these blocks are chiefly abundant a little below the level of our 

 lower line, and as examples of this we may notice the group situ- 

 ated between Fogedgaard and Bosekop, and the infinite multitude 

 between Hammerfest and the mouth of the little stream proceed- 

 ing from the neighbouring lake. No doubt these blocks are found 

 at other elevations, but their predominance at this is not less 

 Avorthy of notice. The ice-bergs which then perhaps visited and 

 were run aground in these fjords and there deposited the frag- 

 ments of rock concealed in them, will perhaps ultimately be 

 found to explain and account for these phenomena. 



Let us consider next the parallel striae on the rock, a subject of 

 special inquiry, concerning which the first observations seem to 

 have been made by M. de Lasteyrie. The furrows and polishing 

 of the rocks is very evident on the mountains of this district, and 

 the Kongshavcsfjeld and the Skodevara offer admirable instances, 

 while along the coast of the gulf of Bothnia, especially in the 

 Swedish province of Angermanland, the same appearance is 

 frequent so far as regards the polish on the rocks and the parallel- 

 ism of the channelling, but the direction of the markings is 

 different. The furrows observed in Finmark are however analo- 

 gous to those of Sweden, and doubtless owing to the same cause. 

 They may be observed at considerable heights, and also near the 

 sea level ; and one little island, that of Bratholm, whose highest 

 point is not more than 45 metres, is entirely polished and resembles 

 the hulk of a ship keel uppermost, the seams running along the 

 whole length parallel to one another. Observations with refer - 



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