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The
Quarries - Geological Science in Cromarty - The Danes at Cromarty
Danish Professor and the "Old Red Sandstone" Harmonizing Tendencies
of Science.
178
Ichthyolite Beds
-
CHAPTER XI.
An interesting Discovery - Two Storeys of Organic Remains
in the Old Red Sandstone Ancient Ocean of Lower Old Red - Two great
Catastrophes - Ancient Fish Scales - Their skilful Mechanism displayed by
examples Bone Lips Arts of the Slater and Tiler as old as Old Red
Sandstone Jet Trinkets Flint Arrow-heads Vitrified Forts of Scotland
- Style of grouping Lower Old Red Fossils - Illustration from Cromarty
Fishing Phenomena - Singular Remains of Holoptychius Ramble with Mr.
Robert Dick-Color of the Planet Mars - Tombs never dreamed of by
Hervey - Skeleton of the Bruce Gigantic Holoptychius -"Coal money
Currency "— Upper Boundary of Lower Old Red - Every one may add to the
Store of Geological Facts - Discoveries of Messrs. Dick and Peach.
192
--
Ichthyolite Beds of Clune and Lethenbarn Limestone Quarry · Destruction
of Urns and Sarcophagi in the Lime-kiln - Nodules opened — Beautiful
coloring of the Remains-Patrick Duff's Description - New Genus of Moray-
shire Ichthyolite described - Form and size of the Nodules or Stone Coffins
Illustration from Mrs. Marshall's Cements - Forest of Darnaway - The Hill
of Berries Sluie― Elgin Elgin - Outliers of the Weald and the Oolite - Descrip-
tion of the Weald at Linksfield - Mr. Duff's Lepidotus minor Eccentric
Types of Fish Scales - Visit to the Sandstones of Scat-Craig - Fine suit of
Fossils at Scat-Craig - True graveyard Bones, not mere Impressions — Va-
rieties of pattern - The Diker's "Carved Flowers"---- Stagonolepis, a new
Genus Termination of the Ramble.
212
CHAPTER XIII.
SUPPLEMENTARY.
Supplementary Isolated Reptile Remains in Eigg — Small Isles revisited -The
Betsey again - Storm bound - Tacking- Becalmed Medusæ caught and
described Rain - A Shoal of Porpoises - Change of Weather -The bed-
ridden Woman The Poor Law Act for Scotland Geological Excursion
Basaltic Columns Oolitic Beds Abundance of Organic Remains - Hybo-
dus Teeth - Discovery of reptile Remains in situ Musical Sand of Laig
re-examined- Explanation suggested Sail for Isle Ornsay- Anchored
Clouds A Leak sprung - Peril of the Betsey - At work with Pump and
Pails Safe in Harbor - Return to Edinburgh.
233
CONTENTS.
PART II.
RAMBLES OF A GEOLOGIST.
CHAPTER I.
Embarkation- A foundered Vessel - Lateness of the Harvest dependent on the
Geological character of the Soil-A Granite Harvest and an Old Red Harvest
-Cottages of Redstone and of Granite- - Arable Soil of Scotland the result
of a Geological Grinding Agency Locality of the Famine of 1846 - Mr.
Longmuir's Fossils - Geology necessary to a Theologian - Popularizers of
Science when dangerous "Constitution of Man," and "Vestiges of Crea-
tion " Atop of the Banff Coach A Geologist's Field Equipment - The
trespassing" Stirk" - Silurian Schists inlaid with Old Red Bay of Gamrie
how formed Gardenstone - Geological Free-masonry illustrated How to
break an Ichthyolite Nodule An old Rhyme mended — A raised Beach
Fossil Shells Scotland under Water at the time of the Boulder-clays.
255
CHAPTER II.
Character of the Rocks near Gardenstone
A Defunct Father-lasher A Geo-
The Author's
The Res-
logical Inference - Village of Gardenstone- The drunken Scot- Garden-
stone Inn Lord Gardenstone - A Tempest threatened
Ghost Story - The Lady in Green - Her Appearance and Tricks
cued Children - The murdered Peddler and his Pack Where the Green
Dress came from- Village of Macduff -Peculiar Appearance of the Beach
at the Mouth of the Deveron Dr. Emslie's Fossils Pterichthys quadratus
Argillaceous Deposits of Blackpots Pipe-laying in Scotland - Fossils of
Blackpots Clay-Mr. Longmuir's Description of them - Blackpots Deposit a
Re-formation of a Liasic Patch - Period of its Formation.
270
CHAPTER III.
From Blackpots to Portsoy Character of the Coast - Burn of Boyne - Fever
Phantoms Graphic Granite - Maupertuis and the Runic Inscription -
Explanation of the quo modo of Graphic Granite-Portsoy Inn - Serpentine
Beds Portsoy Serpentine unrivalled for small ornaments Description of
it-Significance of the term serpentine Elizabeth Bond and her "Letters ”
-From Portsoy to Cullen - Attritive Power of the Ocean illustrated The
Equinoctial - From Cullen to Fochabers The Old Red again The old
Fochabers - Mr. Joss, the learned Mail-guard The Editor a
sort of Coach-guard- On the Coach to Elgin - Geology of Banffshire
Irregular paging of the Geologic Leaves Geologic Map of the County like
Joseph's Coat - Striking Illustration.
Pensioner
291
Yellow-hued Houses of Elgin - Geology of the Country indicated by the coloring
of the Stone Houses-Fossils of Old Red north of the Grampians different
from those of Old Red south - Geologic Formations at Linksfield difficult
to be understood Ganoid Scales of the Wealden - Sudden Reaction, from
complex to simple, in the Scales of Fishes - Pore-covered Scales - - Extraor-
dinary amount of Design exhibited in Ancient Ganoid Scales - Holoptychius
Scale illustrated by Cromwell's "fluted pot" - Patrick Duff's Geological
Collection Elgin Museum Fishes of the Ganges - Armature of Ancient
Compensatory Defences
Spines of the Pime-
Fishes
The Hermit-crab
lodi Ride to Campbelton - Theories of the formation of Ardersier and
Fortrose Promontories Tradition of their construction by the Wizard,
Michael Scott - A Region of Legendary Lore.
307
CHAPTER V.
Rosemarkie and its Scaurs Kaes' Craig-A Jackdaw Settlement
"Rose-
markie Kaes" and "Cromarty Cooties" "The Danes," a Group of Ex-
At Home in Cromarty - The Boulder-clay of Cromarty "begins
cavations
to tell its story
· One of its marked Scenic Peculiarities — Hints to Land-
scape Painters
-"Samuel's Well "— A Chain of Bogs geologically accounted
for - Another Scenic Peculiarity "Ha-has of Nature's digging"
Author's earliest Field of Hard Labor - Picturesque Cliff of Boulder-clay
Scratchings on the Sandstone Invariable Characteristic of true Boulder-
clay- Scratchings on Pebbles in the line of the longer axis-Illustration from
the Boulder-clay of Banff..
324
CHAPTER VI.
Organisms of the Boulder-clay not unequivocal - First Impressions of the
Boulder-clay Difficulty of accounting for its barrenness of Remains Sir
Charles Lyell's reasoning A Fact to the contrary Human Skull dug from
a Clay-bank-The Author's Change of Belief respecting Organic Remains
of the Boulder-clay Shells from the Clay at Wick Questions respecting
them settled Conclusions confirmed by Mr. Dick's Discoveries at Thurso
Sir John Sinclair's Discovery of Boulder-clay Shells in 1802 — Comminution
of the Shells illustrated Cyprina islandica - Its Preservation in larger Pro-
portions than those of other Shells accounted for Boulder-clays of Scot-
land reformed during the existing Geological Epoch - Scotland in the Period
of the Boulder-clay "merely three detached groups of Islands" Evidence
of the Subsidence of the Land in Scotland Confirmed by Rev. Mr. Cum-
ming's conclusion - High-lying Granite Boulders Marks of a succeeding
elevatory Period - Scandinavia now rising - Autobiography of a Boulder
desirable A Story of the Supernatural.
336
CHAPTER VII.
Relation of the deep red stone of Cromarty to the Ichthyolite Beds of the System
- Ruins of a Fossil-charged Bed - Journey to Avoch Red Dye of the
Boulder-clay distinct from the substance itself— Variation of Coloring in the
Boulder-clay Red Sandstone accounted for Hard-pan how formed - A
reformed Garden-An ancient Battle-field- Antiquity of Geologic and
Human History compared Burn of Killein Observation made in boy-
hood confirmed
Fossil-nodules Fine Specimen of Coccosteus decipiens -
- Blank strata of Old Red - New View respecting the Rocks of Black Isle-
A Trip up Moray and Dingwall Friths Altered color of the Boulder-clay
Up the Auldgrande River — Scenery of the great Conglomerate - Graphic
Description Laidlaw's Boulder Vaccinium myrtillus Profusion of Trav-
elled Boulders The Boulder Clach Malloch Its zones of Animal and Vege-
table Life.
355
Imaginary Autobiography of the Clach Malloch Boulder Its Creation - Its
Long Night of unsummed Centuries Laid open to light on a desert Island
Surrounded by an Arctic Vegetation — Undermined by the rising Sea-
Locked up and floated off on an Ice-field- At rest on the Sea-bottom
Another Night of unsummed Years The Boulder raised again above the
waves by the rising of the Land- Beholds an Altered Country - Pine For
ests and Mammals Another Period of Ages passes The Boulder again
floated off by an Iceberg - Finally at rest on the Shore of Cromarty Bay-
Time and Occasion of naming it-Strange Phenomena accounted for by Earth-
quakes - How the Boulder of Petty Bay was moved The Boulder of Auld-
grande - The old Highland Paupers The little Parsi Girl — Her Letter to
her Papa - But one Human Nature on Earth - Journey resumed Conon
Burying Ground An aged Couple — Gossip.
375
CHAPTER IX.
The Great Conglomerate - Its Undulatory and Rectilinear Members Knock
Farril and its Vitrified Fort - The old Highlanders an observant race — The
Vein of Silver Summit of Knock Farril Mode of accounting for the
Luxuriance of Herbage in the ancient Scottish Fortalices- -The green Graves
of Culloden Theories respecting the Vitrification of the Hill-forts-Com-
bined Theories of Williams and Mackenzie probably give the correct account
The Author's Explanation -Transformations of Fused Rocks - Strathpeffer
The Spa - Permanent Odoriferous Qualities of an ancient Sea-bottom con-
verted into Rock Mineral Springs of the Spa - Infusion of the powdered
rock a substitute - Belemnite Water The lively young Lady's Comments
- A befogged Country seen from a hill-top - Ben-Wyvis - Journey to
Evanton A Geologist's Night-mare- The Route Home Ruins of Craig
house Incompatibility of Tea and Ghosts - End of the Tour.
393
CHAPTER X.
Recovered Health
Journey to the Orkneys-Aboard the Steamer at Wick
- Mr. Bremner - Masonry of the Harbor of Wick - The greatest Blunders
result from good Rules misapplied Mr. Bremner's Theory about sea-washed
Masonry - Singular Fracture of the Rock near Wick -The Author's mode
of accounting for it — "Simple but not obvious" Thinking- Mr. Bremner's
mode of making stone Erections under Water - His exploits in raising
foundered Vessels Aspect of the Orkneys The ungracious Schoolmaster
In the Frith of Kirkwall Cathedral of St. Magnus - Appearance of
Kirkwall - Its "perished suppers "Its ancient Palaces - Blunder of the
Scotch Aristocracy The patronate Wedge - Breaking Ground in Orkney –
Minute Gregarious Coccosteus True Position of the Coccosteus' Eyes -
Ruins of one of Cromwell's Forts Antiquities of Orkney - The Cathedral-
Its Sculptures - The Mysterious Cell Prospect from the Tower Its
Chimes Ruins of Castle Patrick.
414