HAHDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



125 



striking feature in the scenery about the entrance 

 of Borrowdale is the ice-worn appearance of the 

 rocks. On every band there rolls a sea of roches 

 montonnees. Such may be observed upon the 

 Skiddaw slate area at and south of Grange, the 

 well-known example at Grange Bridge specially 

 demanding attention, on account of the elongated 

 form of the ice-smoothed mass and the fine preser- 

 vation of the scratches. But here I would observe 

 that the Skiddaw slates generally retain less of the 

 effects of ice than the ash and trap rocks, although 

 perhaps some of the best smoothed aud best 

 scratched surfaces are to be found upon the former 

 rocks. In Borrowdale, however, almost every 

 surface of rock is more or less rounded, and in 

 many cases the ice has worked up the dip-slopes of 

 the various beds (see the low and sloping crag in 

 the centre of fig:. 75. Would one see the hummocky 

 nature of ice-worn ground to perfection, the summit 

 of Brund Fell, upon the east side of the road 

 through Borrowdale, should be walked over. Every 

 rock is a rounded surface, and almost every surface 

 is very deeply grooved and scratched in one definite 

 direction, while every here and there are fine ex- 

 amples of perched blocks. At present we must 





fei 



Fig. 75. Castle and Gate Crags, Borrowdale. 



not enter further into Borrowdale ; but ere we turn 

 we cannot but notice the oval patch of alluvial land 

 marking the sight of an old lake just below Bosth- 

 waite, and another similar stretch of flat land 

 below Seathwaite, indicating a second lake now 

 filled up by stream- borne detritus. 



On returning, along the western side of the lake, 

 we may first notice, above and west of Grange, the 

 line of crags running up to Castle Nook ou the hill 

 summit, at the base of which a fault runs, throwing 

 up the Skiddaw slate: here is clearly marked 

 the change of feature on passing from soft to 

 hard rocks. Walking northwards, along the flanks 

 of Maiden Moor and Cat Bells (all Skiddaw slate), 

 we meet with many long grassy slopes, a few 

 slightly craggy spots, where occasional harder beds 

 or quartz strings occur, and several streaiT»s of 

 stones made up of small slaty fragments. About 

 Manesty Farm some very fine examples of ice-worn 

 and_ scratched siirfaces occur, aud perched blocks 



from Borrowdale are frequent, even to the summit 

 of Cat Bells. 



A very striking view up Borrowdale is gained a 

 little above Manesty. The site of old Bosthwaite 

 Lake is seen through an inverted arch formed by 

 the sides of Brund Fell and Castle Crag, between 

 which flows the Derwent (fig. 76) ; but I wish you 

 particularly to note the rough and uneven sides of 

 this arch, formed by rocks of the volcanic series, in 

 order to compare them with the sides of a similar 

 inverted arch among Skiddaw slate rocks, which 

 we shall presently notice. 



Fig, 76. Borrowdale. 



At the northern end of Cat Bells the way in 

 which the smooth sides are mostly formed is well 

 seen ; for here the slate is found weaihering into 

 squared, pencil-like pieces, and at the base of the 

 hill the slaty washings lie. 



Between Derwent Bay and Eosetrees some craggy 

 pieces may be found among the woods, formed by 

 intrusive greenstone. 



Fig. 77. View across Derwcntwatcr to Newland's Arch. 



Crossing the lake and taking our stand at the 

 boat-landings, we may look south-westwards across 

 the water and note the inverted arch of Newland's 

 Yale, formed by the flanks of Cat Bells and of 

 Cansey Pike (tig. 77). This arch is one of singular 

 beauty ard softness; its span is wide, its sides 

 symmetrical and perfectly smooth, and the round 

 mass of Robinson, with the lofty Buttermere 

 mountains, appear to great advantage beyond, set in 

 this exquisite framework. The Borrowdale arch 

 we just noticed is rough and uneven, because the 

 rocks are hard and weatlier craggy; the Newland's 

 arch is smooth and even, because the Skiddaw 



