138 Cincinnati Society of Natural History. 
direction is to the north. Of course this would destroy much of the 
beauty and symmetry of the glacial theory, but there would be one 
thing in its favor—it would not be reversing the laws of nature. 
South of the Laurentide mountains, the surface of the rocks beneath 
the bowlder clay is generally striated in the direction of the valleys. 
This pursuit of the valleys by the lines of striatiou may be observed 
from the mouth of the Gulf of St. Lawrence up the St. Lawrence, and 
down the Champlain and Hudson river valleys. No one who has read 
the description of these markings by Prof. Dawson can have any doubt 
that the bodies which produced them came from the Atlantic ocean at 
the eastern end of the Laurentian range of mountains, and following 
up the St. Lawrence were drifted to the south at various angles, some 
floating over New Brunswick, and others over Maine, and others pass- 
ing up so far as to drift through Lake Champlain, and re-enter the 
Atlantic ocean by the Hudson river, while others drifted past Montreal, 
and were driven into the mouth of the Ottawa river valley, and the 
ancient valley of Ontario. 
In New Brunswick, which is immediately south of the gulf, the 
strie are related to the contour of the surface of the land, and conform 
to the direction of the river valleys. A southeasterly course prevails 
in the western part of Charlotte county, and a southwestern course in 
the valleys east and northeast of St. John. A map of the State of 
Maine, showing the course of the rivers will show the course of the striz. 
The appearance of the surface geology of this State early suggested the 
fact that a great rush of waters poured over it from a northerly source, 
and transported, by its power, the surface debris which had accumu- 
lated in earlier ages by subeerial forces, and large masses of rock from 
parent ledges, and deposited them in regions more or less distant from 
the several sources, and as they passed along they striated and grooved 
the rocks against which they impinged, or over which they rubbed in 
the traveled course. The course of the striz is, therefore, in nearly all 
directions. Ifthe rivers are flowing in valleys, bearing to the south- 
east, the strive have that course, or if south or southwest, the striz 
conform to the valley. Sometimes striz have been found which ulti- 
mately varied at right angles from their original direction. The Katah- 
din mountains formed an obstruction around which the striating 
agency operated, but it did not crossthe summit. The striz are found 
upon the north side of the mountains, and not upon the south side, 
unless for a short distance where the slope is small. The striz in the 
States of Vermont and New Hampshire are in all directions, and it is 
