506 The American Naturalist. [June, 
into the deep pool below. Turning to the very brink and looking over, 
we gazed into a world of mists and mighty reverbations. Here the equisite 
colors of the rainbow fascinated the eye, and majestic sounds of falling 
waters continued the pean of the ages. Below and beyond the seething 
caldron the river appeared, pursuing its turbulent career, past frowning 
cliffs and over miles of rapids, where it heard ‘no sound save its own 
dashings’. The babel of waters made conversation a matter of diffi- 
culty, and after a mute exchange of congratulations, we turned our 
attention to examining the river in detail above and below the Falls.” 
‘A mile above the main leap, the river is a noble stream four hun- 
dred yards wide, already flowing at an accelerated speed. Four rapids, 
marking successive depressions in the river bed, intervene between this 
point and the Fails. At the first rapid the width of the stream is not 
more than one hundred and seventy-five yards, and from thence rapidly - 
contracts until reaching a point above the escarpment proper, where the 
entire column of fleecy water is compressed within rocky banks not 
more than fifty yards apart. Here the resistless power is extremely 
ne. e maddened waters sweeping downwards with terrific force, 
rise in great surging billows high above the encompassing banks ere 
they finally hurl themselves into the gulf below. A great pillar of 
mist rises from the spot, and numerous rainbows span the watery abyss, 
constantly forming and disappearing amid the clouds of spray. An 
immense volume of water precipitates itself. over the rocky ledge, and 
under favorable conditions the roar of the cataract can be heard for 
twenty miles. Below the falls, the river turning to the southeast, pur- 
sues its way for twenty-five miles shut in by vertical cliffs of gneissic 
rock which rise in places to a height of four hundred feet. The rocky 
banks above and below the falls are thickly wooded with firs and 
spruces, among which the graceful form of the white birch appears in 
laces. 
Attempts to secure photographs of the falls did not meet with success, 
it was difficult to obtain a good point of view, and, besides, a combina- 
tion of poor light and mist from the falls cause a lack of definition m 
the photographs. ' 
Prof. Kenaston found by measurement that the height of the, main 
fall is 316 feet and the vertical height of the chute is 32 feet; making 
the total descent from the head of the chute to the surface of the 
water in the chasm about 348 feet. The Grand Falls are then nearly 
twice as high as Niagara, and are only inferior to that cataract m 
breadth and volume of water. 
