dug from a Peat- Moss in Ayrshire. dl 



of the river Aven, where the altitude is probably 800 feet at least 

 above the level of the sea. In this situation I measured one 

 trunk out of several, 45 feet in length. This one was rauch de- 

 cayed, without any trace of either branches or root. 



The remains of these trees are only found in situations more 

 or less hollow, covered and preserved by moist peat earth. In 

 some of these bogs, especially in such as are situated in deep de- 

 pressions, we may suppose that, in former times, lakes of greater 

 or less depth had existed ; but that, in other situations, in conse- 

 quence of the obstruction occasioned by fallen trees, water had 

 become stagnant, aquatic plants had vegetated, and, in the peat 

 earth produced by their decay, the fallen trees had been pre- 

 served. Accordingly, these moss trees are not found, where, 

 either from the slope of the ground, or from the porosity of the 

 soil, water does not stagnate. 



We found, too, that where the trunk of our moss tree reached 

 the dry soil at the margin of the bog, it became completely de- 

 cayed and removed. Undoubtedly, however, these dry and po- 

 rous situations, from being much more favourable for the growth 

 of timber than moist soils, would in former times be covered 

 with trees even larger than are found in the mosses ; but when 

 these were laid prostrate on a dry soil, they would be speedily 

 decayed and removed from sight. They were only preserved 

 where they chanced to fall into a lake, or. where they formed a 

 morass. 



II. On the Ancient Caledonian Forest in the West of Scotland. 



These trees almost to a certainty were individuals of that part 

 of the Caledonian forest which by old records extended up 

 Avondale by Strathaven, passed over the high ground near 

 Loudoun hill, and covered a large portion of the upper part of 

 Ayrshire. Here, as well as in Avondale, there are many exten- 

 sive and bare districts, which, we are informed, were at one 

 time covered by trees ; and, from the few specimens which have 

 been preserved in small insulated bogs, we must form the con- 

 clusion, that these were of much larger size than those of mo- 

 dern times. I am not aware if there is any oak tree in Scotland 

 at present alive equal in size to that which this fragment must have 

 been ; and as it is surely very improbable that the largest, or 

 nearly the largest, tree of the forest should have grown at so 



