28o The American Geologist. November. 1902 
one day was spent. The location of the principal exposures 
which received attention at Natchez is shown in- the accom- 
panying map.'^ The topography of the region is striking. The 
Mississippi has cut away the deposits on the east side vmtil 
bluffs exceeding 200 feet in hight face the river. In addition to 
this smaller streams have washed out deep gullies whose al- 
most perpendicular sides rise from 50 to nearly 200 feet. In 
all the region which was investigated the highest points are 
uniformly close, to the river, while the outlying region is much 
lower. This is well illustrated by the ridge on which Natchez 
stands. Reference to the map will show that the altitudesf in 
the western part of Natchez, near the bluffs, vary from 180 to 
210 feet above low water in the river, but gradually drop to 
75 feet on the plain into which St. Catherine's creek has cut 
its channel. This plateau, or broad ridge, is seamed and cut by 
the "breaks," "gulfs" and "guts" described by ]\IcGee,:|: which 
oft'er abundant opportunities for the study of numerous ex- 
posures, most of w'hich reach far below -the loess, and permit 
easy penetration into its undisturbed mass. The loess is uni- 
* ' Explanation of the map. 
The figures in parentheses represent altitudes above low water mark 
(O) in the Mississippi river. 
The bridge across St- Catherine's creek on the Liberty road, not 
shown on the map, is 75 feet above low water. 
The remaining numbers mark the exposures, the numbers corres- 
ponding to those employed in the table of fossils. 
The following exposures lie beyond the limits of the map : 
No. 26, along Liberty road, east of St. Catherine's creek. Its al- 
titude i? about 105 feet above low water. 
"No. 30, made by a deep gulley in a mass of loess b'ing consider- 
ably lower than the bluffs, some distance north of No. 29. Like 
no. 28, it contains broken fossils which suggest possibilities of 
land-slides from the bluff above. 
No. 3r, north of no. 30, forming a high bluff facing the river, and 
very similar to no. 29. 
No- 32, an exposure high up on a hill north of the National ceme- 
tery, at an altitude of about 210 feet above low water. 
No. T,s. an exposure about half-way down the bluff along the road 
leading to the river bottom north of the National cemetery. 
No. 34, along the road just north of no. 35, and somewhat higher. 
iThese were obtained in part from barometric readings, and in part 
from more exact data furnished by Captain Babbit of Natchez. 
JMcGee, "W. J.. 1. c, p. 434. See also Plate X. 
