Mr Maclaren on Ancient Beaches near Stirling. 409 



Castle stands ; p' the hollow containing the pond ; k the top of the 

 cliff forming a sort of ridge ; and f the lower terrace at its foot. 

 The ridge k is interesting, as an indication of the state of the surface 

 before the upper or ** 22 fathom terrace'* was formed. We may 

 regard it as a remnant of a still higher terrace, or an ancient shoal, 

 formed when the sea stood 1 65 feet or more above its present level, 

 and saved from subsequent destruction bj the bulwark of Abbey 

 Crag, which stands precisely in a position to screen it from the action 

 of a tide setting NW. by W. 



Beaches are merely the outer portions of the sea's bottom ; and 

 I inferred that if the 22 and the 11 fathom terraces were remnants 

 of ancient beaches, something similar should be found at the opposite 

 side of the Carse. The inference proved correct. 



Behind Whitehouse Farm, about a mile SW. from Stirling, (at t 

 in the map) there is a hill about a third of a mile in length, arid from 

 70 to 80 feet in height, above the Carse, from which it rises like an 

 island. It is connected with the hills behind it by a sort of isthmus, 

 while the Carse surrounds it on three sides. So far as I could judge 

 from walking over a considerable part of it, the whole consists of 

 alluvial matter. But there were no openings in it from which 1 

 could discover whether the matter was stratified. The north side t, 

 which looks to the middle of the Carse, presents an abrupt and steep 

 acclivity, precisely like that of the terrace at the Bridge of Allan. 

 Here, again, we are able to account for the preservation of this frag- 

 ment of the ancient sea bottom, while the rest was swept away ; for it 

 will be observed, that it exists in a sheltered recess, surrounded on 

 three sides by a high barrier of hills,' K, G, L. Rivulets descending 

 from the hills, pass near its flanks p and q, and may account for the 

 disappearance of the other portions of it, which no doubt once occu- 

 pied the low ground on its east and west sides. Section 4 represents 

 the form of this hillock, as seen from the north. Section 5 shews its 

 form transversely ; u the hill behind it, * its north front looking to 

 the Carse. 



As Abbey Crag had protected one portion of the ancient sea-bot- 

 tom from destruction, it might be inferred that Stirling Rock would 

 protect another. Now this is actually the case. A little terrace, 

 flat in the top, (m, w, in the map), about 200 feet in breadth, and 

 30 or 35 in height above the Cai*se, encircles the south-west foot of 

 the rock under Stirling Castle. It commences at the village of 

 Raploch ; there is an artificial breach where the road passes through 

 it ; it terminates at a long flat hill of trap, L, and at this end has a 

 faim-house on its summit. Here the terrace is 40 or 45 feet high, 

 and it has a sharply cut declivity of alluvial matter facing the Carse. 

 Section 6 shews its form near Raploch ; S the steep declivity under 

 the Castle, m the terrace. We can explain also why so small a por- 

 tion of the ancient bottom was preserved here. On the south side of 

 Stirling Rock (at w in the map), the ground is probably not more 



