Abandoned Beaches of Lake Sujierior. — Taylor. 121 
of a large terrace north of the statioii'at 198 feet. The most 
important observations made here relate to the Niplssing 
beach and the character of the bed of the Nipigon river below 
this level. A start was made for lake Nipigon. bat the great 
"Wiggins storm" of Sept. 22 to 24 found us about half way 
up the river and it was so violent that we were obliged to stop. 
So much of the brief time available for this trip was thus lost 
that we were obliged to turn back. 
The Nipigon is a large river, and is in reality the upper St. 
Lawrence. Being the outlet of a large lake and having no 
large tributaries along its course, it would be expected that 
this river would be clear, and so it is in its upper half except 
for the stain of the muskeg. Its lower course, however, is 
quite reniai-kable for its character of newness. In tiiis part 
the river is cutting its clay and silt banks and is quite mud- 
dy. At the upper end of the long portage, nearly half way 
up to lake Nipigon, the river is clear. The banks along the 
west side of the river above and along the shore of lake Jessie 
are of gravelly glacial drift. The long portage passes around 
extensive swift rapids, the lower part of which were run in a 
canoe on the return trip. The head of the rapids is probabl}^ 
at least 100 feet above lake Superior, but was not accurately' 
measured. Camp Alexander is at the foot of the long rapids. 
The river here crosses a ledge of gneiss with no certain evi- 
dence of recent cutting or gorge making. The rock on the 
north side appears to be in rather loose blocks, but on the 
south side the ledge is solid and smooth, though uneven. It 
appeared to be a glaciated surface which had not been modi- 
fied much by the river. Perhaps the river has cut the ledge 
down live or ten feet, certainly not mf)re, and this was done 
by removing blocks that were prc^bablj' loose to begin with. 
From camp Alexander down to lake Helen, seven or eight 
miles, the river is nearly straight and tlows with a current of 
two to four or five miles an houi' in a comparatively narrow 
bed with low banks mostly of horizontal laminated claj^ and 
silt. Along the bank two or three feet under water the lam- 
inations were distinctly seen. Besides the finer laminae, there 
appeared to be a harder layer evtM-y three or four inches. This 
projected a little over the softer layers next below, and these 
in turn rested on another harder layer. The bank under wa- 
