NATURAL HISTORY AND PHYSIOGRAPHY OF NEW BRUNSWICK. 201 
Thus the Muniac, though pre-glacial in its origin, is a new 
river still in the torrent stage, and now cutting its valley directly 
into the rock. Indeed, it is, I believe, the most perfect example 
in New Brunswick of a new river of homogeneous development. 
And of course it cannot have been an old outlet of the Tobique. 
Scenically it is one of the most beautiful of New Brunswick 
streams, combining a perfection of the purest running water, 
with the wildest of mountain valleys clad in the finest of woods. 
It has a companion stream, similar in every feature except size, 
in the brook at Perth followed by the road to Tobique. It is 
very likely, also, that the present outlet to Tobique, which was 
once continuous, I believe, with Little River, was similar. The 
heading of these streams so close to the Tobique valley illustrates 
very clearly a stage in the formation of cross-connections between 
distinct river systems. 
118. — On the Physiographic Characteristics of Cains 
River. 
Read Nov. 2, 1909- 
Of the several rivers which follow the slope of the Carboni- 
ferous basin of Eastern New Brunswick, the longest which lies 
wholly within that formation is Cains River. For this reason 
it could be expected to illustrate with particular clearness the 
physiographic evolution of the simpler rivers of the Northumbrian 
system. Accordingly, after long and eagerly looking forward 
to its studv, it was with particular pleasure that I was able, in 
late August and early September last, under good conditions 
of weather and exceptionally good conditions of water, to descend 
this river in a canoe from near its source, and observe its physio- 
graphic features.* 
there is a high fall on the Inman Branch, and a cave somewhere near Cox Brook. Traces of 
gold have been found in the stream; and many attempts have been made to obtain gold in 
another way by digging, about half a mile up the river on the north side, for money supposed 
to have been buried by the French. The stream is a wonderful trout river, and visited through- 
out the summer by local sportsmen from far and near. 
*1 was accompanied by Mr. S. A. R. MacDonald of Fredericton. We were portaged over 
the usual road from Taymouth (or Zionville) to “The Meadows,’’ a mile below the upper Forks. 
I visited it again, to study the old Indian portage, in July, 1910, with Mr. William Laskey of 
Fredericton. We were taken in by the old Grand Lake road, went down stream on foot to the 
portage, crossed to the Gaspereau, and came down that river to the settlements. 
