The Scottish Naturalist. 315 



in the lithograph published by Mr Dudgeon in 1876, has ever 

 been found in situ — or in such circumstances as admitted of no 

 doubt as to its local nativity. 



This is not, however, tantamount to saying that auriferous 

 quartz does not exist in the Crawford district. On the contrary, 

 I have deliberately expressed my opinion that it probably does ; ^ 

 and I have done so in spite of the cautions and jokes — if not 

 sneers and sarcasm — of those who, not many years ago, pinned 

 their faith to the deliverance of Messrs Greg and Lettsom,^ and 

 who went so far as to deny the existence in Scotland at all of 

 native gold in any form, even in that of grains or nuggets. But 

 an opinion is not a fact, though facts of a certain kind are not 

 wanting to show that gold-quartz occurs nowadays about Wan- 

 lockhead, and may be had for the looking. 



Unfortunately, though represented as being abundant, I have 

 never seen a specimen of it either in any public museum or in any 

 private collection, and this, though the Wanlockhead lead-miners 

 are perfectly aware, and have long been, of the demand there is 

 in mineralogical cabinets for the gold produce of their district in 

 all its forms. The mere assertion that it occurs, especially when 

 the assertion is intemperate and intolerant — to characterise it 

 very mildly — will certainly not carry conviction to those familiar 

 with gold-fields and gold-miners. 



The Rev. Thos. Anderson, minister of the parish of Crawford, 

 writing in 1845 the account of his parish for the 'New Statistical 

 Account of Scotland/^ stated that at Leadhills gold is "dissemi- 

 nated in minute particles through the till or clay more immedi- 

 ately covering the rocks, and also occasionally ijiterspersed in 

 quartz y 



Professor Harkness of Cork — a native of Dumfries, and well 



1 Vide what I said of "The Auriferous Quartzites of Scotland" in the 

 'Scottish Naturalist,' vol. iii., 1876. 



2 I refer to the following statement made at p. 238 of their ' Manual of the 

 Minerals of Great Britain and Ireland ' (1858) : — 



** It is a ivell-knaiun fact that much of the gold said to be now found at the 

 Leadhills, and which commands a patriotically high price, is conveyed thither 

 from Glasgow to be rediscovered at a home locality. " 



I recently wrote to Mr Greg, asking the grounds on which he made so 

 strong a statement. His reply, of date March 1878, was, "I cannot now 

 recollect my authority for the statement that the above locality was salted — 

 as they say in America — from Glasgow." Whether well founded or not, 

 however, the imputation herein contained does not apparently or necessarily 

 affect the veracity or integrity of the miners of Leadhills and Wanlockhead. 



3 Vol. vi., p. 336. 



