THE SANDY HILLS OF THE QU'APPELLE. 353 



bottom of the great valley, and was joined, by a sluggish 

 brook coming from the ponds above, a few yards from 

 our camp. Water marks on the hill banks showed that 

 the entire breadth of the valley is flooded during spring 

 freshets. 



The Sandy Hills commence on the north side about 

 two miles west of Sand Hill Lake as it appears in 

 summer. They are drifting dunes, and many of them 

 present a clear ripple-marked surface without any vege- 

 tation, not even a blade of grass. They have invaded 

 the great valley, and materially lessened its depth. One 

 feature in its banks is worthy of special notice. Many 

 boulders or erratics are distributed over the western 

 extremities of small hills or ridges into which the steep 

 banks are broken, 70 to 120 feet above the level of 

 the flats. These ridges have the form of long, narrow 

 islands, their longitudinal axes being parallel to the sides 

 of the valley, and the erratics are deposited and arranged 

 on the top of each ridge, and at the west extremity. 

 The form of these ridges is also peculiar, they are sharp 

 at the west end where the erratics he, and rounded at 

 the east end. The slope is gentle at the west end, abrupt 

 at the east end. This peculiarity is a constant feature of 

 all the ridges seen on the sides of the banks of the valley. 

 *They vary in height from 10 to 30 feet, and in length 

 from 60 to 140 feet, and in breadth from 20 to 80 feet. 

 They have evidently some relation to the excavating 

 force which has produced this great valley, and cannot 

 be attributed to the long continued action of a small 

 stream ; however competent running water may be to 

 produce deep and long depressions in loose drift, or a 

 soft friable rock. 



A section of the bank of the Eye-brow Hill stream in 

 its course through the flats, showed fine clay brought by 



VOL. I. A A 



