The Miinitscong Islands. — Taylor. 31 
formation of the cliffs in this region has been largely influ- 
enced in some places by these weaker layers, 
Mackinac Island. 
Recent excursions to the low ground of the north end of the 
island have revealed the existence of a strong shore line there 
corresponding to that in the village at the south end. Its 
upper limit in the village is rather irregular, but the hight of 
the continuous beach is not far from 45 feet above the lake. 
The altitudes of the cut terrace and beach ridge at the north 
end of the island were not measured by barometer, but by an eye 
estimate only. In the woods near British landing, near the 
north end of the island, the road crosses some narrow beach 
ridges at nearly the same level. The road to Scott's cave 
branches off to the right just below this point and passes 
thence about a mile on the wide flat of the terrace just men- 
tioned. At its back the flat ends against the foot of a steep 
bluff, which, for much of the distance, is a rock cliff 30 to 40 
feet in hight. Its strength and altitude prove it to be the 
same shore line as that in the village. The littoral origin of 
this terrace and cliff is fully proven by Pulpit rock, which 
stands on the terrace a few rods out from the foot of the cliff'. 
It is a tall and very slender outlier of fragile limestone which 
happened to be left standing when the waves finally with- 
drew. Its feeble structure, on the one hand, suggests an ulti- 
mate limit to the time since it was left standing, and its dis- 
tance from the cliff, on the other hand, suggests the relatively 
long duration at one plane of the wave action which made the 
cliff and a large part of the terrace. The marshy little valley 
back of British landing was probably shut in by a spit made 
at the same time, and with material derived mainly from the 
Scott's cave cliffs. Modern wave action has removed all that 
may have existed of this shore line along the east and west 
sides of the island. 
This strong shore line on the north and south ends of 
Mackinac island, at St. Ignace, and Gros Cap, appears again 
at McGulpin's point across the straits. A similar beach at 
half its hight appears also on the shores of Little Traverse 
bay. The character and position of this shore line agree in 
all respects with the Nipissing beach as identified at points 
farther north, and it has been so named on the map. The 
