248 J. B. Hatcher — Cape Fairweather Beds. 



discovered by Captain Fitzroy at the mouth of the Gallegos 

 river and believed by Darwin to be more recent than the 

 Patagonian beds. As evidence in favor of correlating the 

 Cape Fairweather beds with those reported by Darwin in 

 Tierra del Fuego, I may mention that in the former there are 

 fragments of crab legs very similar to those found in the bluffs 

 of San Sebastian bay ; also the fact that all the Tertiary strata 

 in this region dip very gently to the southeast, so that in goings 

 from north to south along the coast the different horizons 

 appear at the level of the sea in chronological order, l^ear the 

 Mt. of Observation, south of the Santa Cruz river, we find at 

 sea level and for some distance above the Patagonian beds 

 overlaid by the Santa Cruzian beds. Farther south, at Coy 

 inlet, the Patagonian beds entirely disappear under the sea, 

 and the Santa Cruzian beds are at the water level, and still 

 farther south at Cape Fairweather they are overlaid by the 

 Cape Fairweather beds ; while at San Sebastian bay on the 

 east coast of Tierra del Fuego the Santa Cruzian beds have 

 disappeared below the sea and the Cape Fairweather beds 

 alone are represented. A study of the Cape Fairweather beds 

 may also afford important evidence as to the origin of the 

 numerous salt water lakes in southern Patagonia ; and as to 

 the age, origin and distribution of the great Shingle formation 

 of this region. These and other questions will be considered 

 in a more exhaustive paper on the general geology of the 

 country visited. 



Princeton University, Aug. 2, 1897. 



