332 The American Geologist. Uocember, i89'.» 
The consequences of these conditions are important, and 
can be apphed to many cases other than those under consid- 
eration. In the first place, the material of any current-formed 
foreland can be no coarser at any time than can be carried by 
the maximum current which passes that point. In the Bras 
d'C )r this would mean extremely fine particles. In very many 
other instances where by some physiographers currents are al- 
leged as the chief if not the sole agent, this would mean finer 
particles than are found in some parts of the new forms. Ex- 
ceptions to this could be made, of soft shores like the Atlantic 
from New Jersey southward. Indeed, it appears as though 
many of the ideas upon this subject have been obtained from 
a study of such coasts, and transplanted to the forelands which 
project from rocky shores. In the former instances, it may be 
that the currents have a proportionally greater efifect, although 
even here the real evidence — from observation — usually fails 
to accompany the statement. 
In the second place, currents cannot act above the level of 
high tide, or practically a little below that level. Hence any 
part of a foreland which projects above this must have rerxhed 
that position by means either of winds or waves. Many of tlie 
spits and bars along soft shores owe their aerial portions to the 
winds in considerable measure ; but there the particles are 
sand, of such size that the wind can carry them. Here, how- 
ever, and in most cases along rocky shores, much of the ma- 
terial is too coarse for any winds to lift. This leaves waves as 
the chief agent of deposition, at least above high tide. In 
the Bras d'Or the tide is inconsiderable, in some places unno- 
ticeable ; hence the highest theoretically effective point of cur- 
rent action is somewhat below ordinary water level. But ob- 
servations below water, as deep as can be seen from a boat, 
will show the presence there also of particles too large for cur- 
rent action to afifect. Hence waves must be held accountable 
for the presence of these. 
Another line of observation also discredits currents as ef- 
fective constructive agents in these lakes ; and as before, the 
same phenomena can be seen on many of the rocky coasts ex- 
posed to the ocean. In the first place, where the source is a 
headland and the form is not too smallj the detritus can be 
traced directly from the point where it is fed from the bedrock, 
