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BULLETIN OF THE NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY 
holds its height of from 70 to 80 feet for some distance to the 
eastward, and then falls off markedly towards the tide mead where 
it is not over 30 to 40 feet above the water. The bed of the rivei 
is yet smoother than above, consisting chiefly of long smooth- 
water pools and smooth-running reaches over sand and gravel, 
separated by rippling gravel bars and occasional little rocky 
rapids. Finally, growing yet smoother and quieter, it merges 
imperceptibly with the tide, the transition being marked only by 
stranded and water-logged river drift. Below, allong the tideway, 
the valley preserves in general much the same character, though 
broadening somewhat, but the walls gradually become higher, the 
plateau rising again to some 70 or 80 feet above the water. Then 
it sinks again, until, some three miles above Portage River, it has 
dropped to 40 feet or less, after which it seems to fall away still 
more abruptly, to dip rapidly under the waters of the Gulf of 
St. Lawrence. Through all of its tidal part the river winds 
considerably, with banks ait times of glacial drift, again of sand- 
stone cliffs, but oftenest gently sloping and thus affording sites 
for the thrifty farms which are extending gradually up the 
tideway. Often, when the banks are high, it has much of a fiord- 
eharacter, and everywhere it presents much quiet beauty of 
scenery. Near the mouth of this easterly part there comes in 
Portage River, in a ripe-looking tidal valley nearly as large at 
that of the Big Tracadie. The Tracadie then bends northward 
through “The Lake” and finds its way to the sea through a com- 
plex of lake, cove, point, lagoon, marsh, ishnd and sand beach, 
all thoroughly characteristic of a sinking coast in a sandy region. 
We consider now the origin of this part of the river. It 
is just possible (that it is of the same age and mode of formation 
as the part above to Meadow Brook ; but its much greater size, 
appearence of greater maturity and marked difference of di- 
rection, all indicate that it is considerable older, and I think it is 
a long pre-glacial, though stiff comparatively modern river. It 
cannot however occupy an original valley of the Northumbrian 
series (Note 93) partly because it is too new in character and 
partly because its direction is nearly due east instead of north- 
