78 



ROCKS WORN BY THE SEA. 



[Ch. VI 



round them, facing towards all points of the compass, as if they had 

 once formed rocky islets near the shore.* 



Captain Bayfield, in his survey of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, discov- 

 ered in several places, especially in the Mingan islands, a counterpart of 

 the inland cliffs of St. Mihiel, and traced a succession of shingle beaches, 

 one above the other, which agreed in their level with some of the prin- 

 cipal grooves scooped out of the limestone pillars. These beaches con- 

 sisted of calcareous shingle, with shells of recent species, the farthest 

 from the shore being 60 feet above the level of the highest tides. In 

 addition to the drawings of the pillars called the flower-pots, which he 

 has published,! I have been favored with other views of rocks on the 

 same coast, drawn by Lieut. A. Bowen, R. 1ST. (See fig. 97.1 



Fig. 97. 



Limestone columns in Niaplsca Island, in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Height 

 of the second column on the left, 60 feet. 



In the North- American beaches above mentioned rounded fragments 

 of limestone have been found perforated by litkodomi ; and holes drilled 

 by the same mollusks have been detected in the columnar rocks or 

 " flower-pots," showing that there has been no great amount of atmos- 

 pheric decomposition on the surface, or the cavities alluded to would 

 have disappeared. 



The North Eocks, Bermuda, lying outside the great coral reef. 

 A. 16 feet high, and B. 12 feet. c. c. Hollows worn by the sea. 



* I was directed by M. Deshayes to this spot, which I visited in June, 1838. 

 f See Trans, of Geol. Soc. second series, vol. v. plate v. 



