76 MR BAIRD ON THE " FAIRY STONES.*' 



other water ? But, besides this, the great variety in the shape of the 

 stones themselves, is a strong objection against this supposition. For, 

 were they formed merely by friction, we should expect of course that 

 they would all uniformly assume the circular form ; and that, instead of 

 finding one perfectly flat on one side and roundish on the other, and in- 

 stead of the sharp angles and projecting lines we observe in others, as 

 beautifully marked as if they had been turned by art, we should find 

 them of one uniform indistinct roundness, and certainly without the 

 beautiful character of the projecting lines already alluded to. And with 

 regard to the second supposition, it may be sufficient to state, that no 

 amygdaloidal rocks appear to occur in all this neighbourhood, nor any 

 other rock in which nodules of this description could be imbedded. 

 The rocks, where visible, appear in general to be stratified, the funda- 

 mental ones at least being greywacke and greywacke slate. The other 

 rocks I cannot take upon me at this moment to name (unless to suspect 

 that there may be slight traces of the old red sandstone), for the only 

 regular visit I ever paid to the glen was a hurried one, and that too 

 when the shades of evening were beginning rapidly to close around me. 

 Dim and indistinct, however, though the surrounding objects were now 

 becoming, enough of light was still left to guide me to another theory 

 upon the subject, which possesses the merit at least of being a simple 

 one. I imagine, then, that these stones are in fact little else than a pe- 

 culiar kind of stalactite, and, generally speaking, formed in much the 

 same way, although their component parts are somewhat different from 

 ordinary stalactites. On several parts, accordingly, of the banks of this 

 dean, there flow little trickling streams of water, and in one place the 

 bank is composed entirely of a stiff tenacious alluvial clay, with boulders 

 of different rocks and of various sizes firmly fixed in it, and frequently 

 projecting considerably beyond the surface of the clay of which the bank 

 is composed (a specimen of this kind I at one time had, but cannot 

 now exhibit it, which I am sorry for). Down this slope, water is con- 

 tinually trickling, highly saturated, as we may suppose, with the particles 

 of the fine clay, which, as it flows, it of course deposits either in small 

 hollows on the surface of these boulders, or round any little inequality 

 or obstruction on their surface to which it can attach itself. Thus, for 

 example, in any rolled mass, such as that now before me, we can easily 

 suppose that there may be many little inequalities either higher or lower 

 than its general surface, that water regularly trickling over this, highly 

 saturated with the particles of a fine and tenacious clay, meeting with 

 these inequalities and obstructions, would find something on which, or 

 around which, to form a deposition, that a nucleus would thus be 

 formed, and that, as the water kept trickling, layer after layer would be 

 gradually added, until at length the deposition would increase into the 

 form and size which these stones generally assume. Such I am inclined 

 to consider as the general mode of formation of these curious substances ; 



