232 
THE AVON AND ITS GRAVELS 
The present writer does not agree with the foregoing 
conclusions, and for the following reasons : — 
1. The Avon valleys are deep and wide, and hear all the 
marks of geological antiquity. The contrast between the 
banks of the Avon and those of a river which does un- 
doubtedly flow through recent formations is very striking. 
The banks of the Avon are undulating and weathered ; 
the materials composing the sides have long since found 
their angle of repose, and are covered by luxuriant vegeta- 
tion ; the scars are concealed. On the other hand, a river 
like the St. Lawrence flows through territory where the 
marks of weathering are quite fresh. The scars are not 
covered. The grooves caused by the passage of ice, the 
striated boulders, even the till and boulder clay can be 
seen easily by the passenger on the steamer’s deck as he 
descends the river from Toronto to Montreal. 
2. There is an entire absence of the material which would 
have been deposited^ had this region been submerged. It is 
almost inconceivable that such an enormous tract of 
country should have been denuded without some trace 
being left of the old deposit. For example, in the Bristol 
district the Triassic formations have been almost entirely 
removed from such areas as the Durdham Downs ; still 
fragments do persist — e.g., small isolated patches are found 
resting on the Carboniferous Limestone, and great pebbles 
All the cavities of the limestone. In the same way, 
seeing that the theory of Professor Prestwich demands the 
submergence of the whole western area, one would expect 
to And traces of the deposits of the period. Such traces 
are, as I think, entirely wanting. 
3. Palceontological evidence. No organic remains have 
been found in these High level gravels, but the remains 
which characterize the Low level gravels (to be described 
later) are so characteristic of the glacial and post-glacial 
periods that there seems to be abundant evidence for 
