88 
THE NATURALISTS' COMPANION 
A JYATUBALIST 
CAJYOEIJYG^£()0 MILES 
IM TKE ABJROMDACKS. 
Co}iti}iued from page 8p. 
I had never been in one before, so 
when I made .my first attempt I 
came near getting a decking, but 
with the aid of the Professor I man¬ 
aged to keep right side up, as we 
paddled along the shore fringed 
with pines, in search of a shanty 
which, we had been told, existed 
“somewhere on the lake.” At last 
an opening in the trees attracted 
our attention, and a little ways 
from the shore stood the shanty,look 
ing rather gloomy in the dim light, 
beneath the heavy covering of 
pines. We landed, (at least the 
Professor did, and as for me I al¬ 
ways wondered how I got out of 
my canoe and on land without get¬ 
ting wet) and went to work un¬ 
loading and carrying the contents 
of the canoes up to shanty. After 
we had hauled the canoes out of 
the water to dry, preparatory for 
painting them, and built a roaring 
fire in front of the shanty, things 
looked more home-like and I began 
to look around. The shanty was 
built similar to most of those we 
saw, being log cabin fashion. A I 
square structure of logs, open at 
one end is first built; on top of this a 
light framework of saplings is erec¬ 
ted open towards the fire and slant¬ 
ing off at the back. This frame is 
covered with large sheets of bark, 
stripped off the trees in the spring. ! 
Such was our house inside, tlie i 
ground was covered with sprigs of ! 
hemlock, making a very fragrant 
and springy bed. After supper we 
replinished tlie fire,and roiling oui'- 
selves up in our blankets, with feet 
to the fire, slept. \ 
(to EE CONTINUED.). i 
HISTORICAL CEOLOCY. 
A SERIAL. 
BY franklin C. JOHNSON. 
INTRODUCTION. 
Geology is the history of the 
earth’s crust. The science, as now 
understood, is that once, millions 
and millions of years ago, our earth 
was a glowing star ; in fact, noth¬ 
ing more than a mass of melted 
rocks and matter. But as ages and 
ages passed by, this molten mass 
became gradually cool, and the sur¬ 
face harder and covered with wa¬ 
ter. But while this cooling was 
going on, the red-hot mass beneath 
the thin surface heaved and yearn¬ 
ed, throwing up continents and is¬ 
lands. This land soon became 
covered with a strange and imper¬ 
fect vegetation, and a little later 
animals began to appear ; at first 
of a very low type, but growing 
more perfect as time went on. Now 
this long time, consisting of mil¬ 
lions and millions of years, is di¬ 
vided by geologists into four great 
eras or times, as follows ; 
The Archaean (beginning) ;thePal- 
eozic (ancient life); the Mesozoic 
(middle life); and the Cenozoic (re¬ 
cent life.) 
CHAPTIiR I. 
THE AROHAEASM TSME. 
“'rhis era commenced with the 
origin of the earth’s crust” 
It is divided into two periods, the 
*DaiKi. 
