go Transaction. 



the Druidical Circle well known at Holywood. These frag- 

 ments are not boulders and must have been brought to the 

 spot from some distance, by wdiat means Ave leave others to 

 determine. 



The second excursion was to Dalswinton and neighbour- 

 hood. At Friars' Carse and on to Auldgirth Bridge we have 

 a magnificent development of the gravel mounds. In some 

 parts of the river itself we have again examples of the Per- 

 mian sandstone, lying nearly horizontally, as it generally 

 does, and thus well contrasted with the Silurian, constitut- 

 ing the Dalswinton hills in the immediate neighbourhood, 

 which lies at a very high angle, often-times nearly 90 degrees. 

 At various points in crossing the hills the ordinary characters 

 of this rock system were well seen, namely, its grits, shales, 

 conglomerates. On leaving the hills towards Dalswinton 

 village an interesting fragment of Permian sandstone was 

 noticed. Its outlines at a distance were so soft and round 

 that it was mistaken for an ordinary karaes or collection of 

 gravel. This character was obviously owing to the soft and 

 easily a.braided nature of the sandstone. At Dalswinton 

 House we have an interesting example of river action ; the 

 cliff on which the mansion stands being an old river bank. 

 On reaching the Holywood Station we had an opportunity 

 of examining a most interesting section of ancient river 

 action in a new cutting which was being proceeded with 

 through ancient gravel sands, etc. There we found numer- 

 ous beautiful specimens of the variegated sandstone, so often 

 found in the bed of the Nith, the original site of which, so 

 far as we know, has not yet been ascertained. 



The third excursion was to the Bridge of Dee and neigh- 

 bourhood. On this occasion we shall begin by taking a 

 rapid glance of the geological features of the districts through 

 which we are passing per rail. 1st. From the Station on- 

 wards for about a mile we pass through a series of the 

 o-ravel mounds in the vicinity of Maxwelltown. We then 

 come to a most interesting section of the Permian breccia 

 commencing near the 3choolhouse of Drumsleet. 3d. Im- 



