200 
BULLETIN OF THE NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY. 
quence one can make out little of the geographical relations of the 
river from the stream itself, but an inspection of the general maps 
brings out some important facts. First, the streams flowing into 
the upper part of this section, namely, Three-Tree Creek, Merse- 
reau Creek, Brizley Creek, are all markedly re-entrant in their 
main courses, indicating that at one time this part of the river 
flowed south, and suggesting that it was at one time a small branch 
of the Nerepisian River. Second, it has a large branch, the Rusa- 
gonis, entering at right angles, parallel with the St. John and in a 
line with Kelly’s Creek and the Upper Reach of the St, John, 
while its direction is continued across the Oromocto by French 
Lake and Rockwell Stream. Though I have not been able to 
study this problem I think it very probable, for reasons which will 
be given in a later note ( No. 75), that the Rusagonis and Rockwell 
streams persist in an ancient valley, of which the Upper Reach and 
part of Nacawic are parts, and which joined the present St. John 
at Little River in Flampstead. In this case the present Lower 
Oromocto was at first a small branch of the St. John, which in 
very early times extended back capturing the Rusagonis, and later, 
cutting through the divide, the remnant of which is the ridge south 
of French Lake, captured the branch of the Nerepisian River, and 
thus the main part of the river, turning it northward into its pres- 
ent course. The condition which allowed this extensive alteration 
was no doubt, as later more fully discussed, the ease of erosion in 
the soft sand-stones of this region, combined, perhaps, with some 
synclinal folding or other favoring local conditions. 
The conclusions drawn from the facts here stated are of course 
largely tentative. I regard them as in the highest degree pro- 
bable, but much study is still needed before they can be either 
fully confirmed or definitely disproved. 
74. — Notes on the Physiographic Orighn of the Keswick 
River. 
Read November 3, 1903. 
For some years past I have been making such observations upon 
the physiographic character of the Keswick valley as may bc- 
accomplished from railway trains. The method is not ideal, but 
the trains in that valley do not move at a rate to render such study 
quite impossible, especially when several trips are made to supple- 
ment one another in conjunction with the use of the best maps. 
