﻿Taylor 
  — 
  Scoured 
  Bowlders 
  of 
  the 
  Mattawa 
  Valley. 
  215 
  

  

  pebbles 
  seem 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  gathered 
  into 
  this 
  and 
  so 
  started 
  on 
  

   their 
  course. 
  This 
  depression 
  was 
  plainly 
  an 
  original 
  feature 
  

   of 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  bowlder. 
  But 
  on 
  close 
  inspection 
  it 
  was 
  

   found 
  that 
  the 
  bottom 
  had 
  been 
  made 
  a 
  little 
  more 
  even 
  and 
  

   smooth 
  by 
  the 
  sand 
  that 
  had 
  trailed 
  along 
  through 
  it. 
  Then 
  

   for 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  feet 
  the 
  surface 
  is 
  flat 
  and 
  the 
  sand 
  and 
  pebble 
  

   current 
  appears 
  to 
  have 
  spread 
  out 
  or 
  divided 
  in 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  

   parts. 
  Over 
  this 
  space 
  the 
  gutter 
  is 
  not 
  clearly 
  discernible. 
  

   Then 
  another 
  depression 
  begins 
  and 
  runs 
  three 
  or 
  four 
  feet 
  to 
  

   the 
  sharp 
  edge 
  of 
  a 
  cavity 
  about 
  one 
  foot 
  in 
  depth. 
  On 
  

   approaching 
  the 
  edge 
  the 
  gutter 
  becomes 
  very 
  marked, 
  and 
  the 
  

   edge 
  where 
  the 
  moving 
  materials 
  ran 
  over 
  into 
  the 
  cavity 
  is 
  

   worn 
  and 
  hollowed 
  out 
  smooth 
  into 
  a 
  shape 
  like 
  the 
  lip 
  of 
  a 
  

   large 
  water 
  pitcher. 
  After 
  passing 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  cavity 
  and 
  up 
  

   the 
  face 
  of 
  the 
  bowlder 
  again, 
  the 
  worn 
  track 
  reappears 
  directly 
  

   in 
  line 
  with 
  that 
  just 
  described 
  and 
  becomes 
  more 
  pronounced 
  

   as 
  it 
  approaches 
  another 
  worn-down 
  notch 
  or 
  pitcher-lip 
  where 
  

   the 
  gutter 
  passes 
  off 
  the 
  bowlder 
  into 
  the 
  air. 
  This 
  worn 
  

   track 
  crosses 
  the 
  whole 
  extent 
  of 
  the 
  bowlder 
  in 
  a 
  direct 
  

   course, 
  and 
  from 
  its 
  relation 
  to 
  the 
  worn 
  notches 
  in 
  the 
  sharp 
  

   edges 
  it 
  is 
  plain 
  that 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  the 
  sand 
  and 
  pebbles 
  was 
  

   from 
  southwest 
  to 
  northeast 
  and 
  uot 
  vice 
  versa. 
  In 
  sighting 
  

   backward 
  along 
  the 
  gutter, 
  one 
  looks 
  directly 
  up 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  

   the 
  Mattawa. 
  At 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  the 
  bowlder 
  stands 
  in 
  such 
  a 
  

   position 
  that 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  openly 
  exposed 
  to 
  higher 
  waters 
  from 
  

   the 
  northwest 
  descending 
  the 
  valley 
  of 
  the 
  Ottawa. 
  But 
  

   there 
  are 
  no 
  marks 
  indicating 
  the 
  action 
  of 
  a 
  current 
  from 
  that 
  

   direction. 
  The 
  top 
  of 
  the 
  bowlder 
  at 
  the 
  present 
  time 
  is 
  about 
  

   25 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  water 
  at 
  low 
  stage. 
  

  

  In 
  another 
  way 
  the 
  giant 
  bowlder 
  shows 
  conclusively 
  that 
  a 
  

   great 
  current 
  of 
  water 
  has 
  played 
  around 
  it. 
  It 
  stands 
  in 
  a 
  

   sort 
  of 
  basin 
  and 
  rests 
  its 
  lower 
  visible 
  edges 
  against 
  smaller 
  

   bowlders 
  from 
  between 
  which 
  all 
  finer 
  material 
  has 
  been 
  swept 
  

   away. 
  Open 
  holes 
  now 
  filled 
  with 
  water 
  extend 
  some 
  dis- 
  

   tance 
  down 
  under 
  the 
  edges 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  bowlder. 
  The 
  other 
  

   bowlders 
  now 
  immediately 
  surrounding 
  the 
  great 
  one 
  are 
  

   mostly 
  small. 
  It 
  seems 
  probable 
  that 
  the 
  great 
  bowlder 
  was 
  at 
  

   first 
  buried 
  more 
  deeply 
  than 
  now. 
  The 
  gutter 
  may, 
  there- 
  

   fore, 
  have 
  been 
  made 
  mostly 
  in 
  the 
  earlier 
  stages 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  

   river, 
  when 
  sand 
  and 
  gravel 
  would 
  pass 
  more 
  readily 
  over 
  its 
  

   top. 
  The 
  basin 
  it 
  lies 
  in 
  suggests 
  this, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  hard 
  to 
  see 
  

   how 
  sand 
  or 
  gravel 
  conld 
  be 
  carried 
  up 
  onto 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  the 
  

   bowlder, 
  as 
  it 
  stands 
  related 
  to 
  the 
  surrounding 
  ground 
  to-day, 
  

   in 
  sufficient 
  quantities 
  to 
  accomplish 
  such 
  a 
  work. 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  another 
  cluster 
  of 
  very 
  large 
  bowlders 
  near 
  the 
  

   railroad 
  trestle 
  northeast 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  bowlder 
  mentioned 
  

   above. 
  Some 
  of 
  them 
  show 
  faint 
  gutters 
  also 
  and 
  nearly 
  all 
  

   of 
  them 
  show 
  basins 
  or 
  some 
  other 
  well-marked 
  product 
  of 
  

   scour. 
  Among 
  smaller 
  bowlders 
  the 
  gutter 
  is 
  frequently 
  rep- 
  

  

  