NATURAL HISTORY AND PHYSIOGRAPHY OF NEW BRUNSWICK. 21 
and doubtless for similar reasons, (Note No. 125, page 428, 
No. 1 2(5, page 441). 
Reviewing the river geologically, it is found to flow almost 
wholly through the gray carboniferous sandstone of the eastern 
plain, the only exceptions being the granite below the 
Nevers Brook basin, and the Devonian argillites on and below 
the North Fork. These rocks, however, are obviously 
extensions, as lower offlying parallel ridges, of the masses of 
such rocks lying just to the southward in the Southern High- 
lands. This river, indeed, lies in the angle, so to speak, 
between the Central Plain and the Southern Highlands. 
We consider now the physiographic origin of this interest- 
ing river, which exhibits some very puzzling features. Thus 
its lower course, from below Coles Island up to near the North 
Fork, has a direction parallel with that of Coal Creek, 
Salmon River, Gaspereau, Cains River, and others of the remark- 
able parallel Northumbrian series (described in Note No. 
93) ; and like them it lines up perfectly with one of the 
rivers which empties into Northumberland Strait, in this case, 
the Buctouche, presumably its ancient outlet. On the other 
hand, the part of the rfver above the North Fork, has a 
different direction, and one, moreover, which continues perfectly 
the course of Nevers Brook, showing that these two occupy 
a single valley morphologically; but the question as to the 
origin of this part is rendered all the more puzzling by the 
curious arrangement of Prices Brook in relation to the Canaan 
above Nevers Brook, for these two streams likewise seem 
clearly to form one valley, which, however, crosses the one 
just mentioned nearly at right angles. I am inclined to 
think that the solution will be found on further study to be 
this, that the Lower Canaan, below the North Fork, did 
formerly have a course across country to the Buctouche, 
and I predict that further exploration and better mapping of 
that country will reveal relics of such an old drainage. The 
part above the North Fork, including Nevers Brook, must 
represent an independent valley, which must also have emptied 
eastward originally. As to its origin I can only suggest that 
