. The Canadian field-naturalist. Natural history. 86 The Ottawa Naturalist [Vol. XXXIl. some striking examples of the rapid changes which a coast line may undergo. Hon. Joseph Howe a number of years ago reported that by actual measurement 1 I miles of the west end of the island had disappeared in 30 years. The commodious harbour on Sable island which was formerly a favorite haven of safety for fishing vessels was closed by a gale in 1836 shutting in two American vessels whose ribs are now buried in the sand. On parts of the south coast of England the work of the sea is largely constructive. So
. The Canadian field-naturalist. Natural history. 86 The Ottawa Naturalist [Vol. XXXIl. some striking examples of the rapid changes which a coast line may undergo. Hon. Joseph Howe a number of years ago reported that by actual measurement 1 I miles of the west end of the island had disappeared in 30 years. The commodious harbour on Sable island which was formerly a favorite haven of safety for fishing vessels was closed by a gale in 1836 shutting in two American vessels whose ribs are now buried in the sand. On parts of the south coast of England the work of the sea is largely constructive. Some of the towns on the coast which were located on the sea shore in the days of the early English kings, are now one or more miles inland. During storms from the south- west the waves and currents drive enormous quanti- ties of shingle and gravel onto this coast, often making it difficult or impossible to keep the harbours open. At the Port of Dover it was long the custom for the Mayor to summon with a drum, by day or night, all the householders in the city to the harbour to shovel shmgle whenever it was endangered by the of shmgle drift. Facts like these had been observed long before the development of modern science. Some of the more reflective minds of the Middle ages were deeply impressed by them. Mohammed Kaswini an Arab writer of the 13th century had at that early period felt the spell of the mighty past of geological time. His impressions were put into allegorical form. They are given in the following narrative of Kidhz, an allegorical personage: "I passed one day by a very ancient and wonderfully populous city and asked one of its inhabitants how long it had been founded. It is indeed a mighty city, replied he, we know not how long it has existed, and our ancestors were on this subject as ignorant as our- selves. Five centuries afterwards as I passed by the same place I could not perceive the slightest vestige of the city. I demanded of a peasant who was gat
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