CHANNELS AND GLENS OF AYRSHIRE. 65 



although some surface sandstones, etc, shew striations, they are 

 generally found to be loose-jointed to some depth. 



There is every reason to believe that the valleys were steeper- 

 sided than they are now, apart from the post-glacial rocky ravines 

 for these ravines clearly teach us that rivers of water produce 

 different features than those given by land-ice, and it is to the 

 carving action of the latter that we owe the principal contours of 

 our valley-slopes, apart from any drift which is on them Then 

 the soils would be entirely different ; at present they are, generally 

 speaking, just rotted boulder-clay and humus, except for a bit 

 inland from the coast, and in the hollows of some of the valleys ■ 

 at that time the rocks would determine the nature of the soils' 

 and give a great variety, from the manner in which the different 

 beds came to the surface.. 



The most striking feature of Ayrshire physiography at the 

 present day-apart from the hills-is the drums of drift which 

 give the surface such a rolling appearance. The hills now are 

 remarkably rounded in outline; then they probably presented 

 numerous peaks on the sky-line, and the corries would be 

 deeper and more gulch-like. Whether or not the " necks " of the 

 old volcanoes, so common in Ayrshire, presented prominent 

 features in the shape of torrs (or perhaps remains of cones of 

 ejection) it would be difficult to say. At present a few of them 

 do so, as Loudoun Hill, Blacklaw, Sorn Hill, Castlehill and others 

 (all plugged throats), but many of them have been shaved down 

 to about a level with the surrounding strata. 



There were probably no lochs, the old drainage system having 

 apparently been too complete, from long ages of river denudation, 

 to allow of pools of stagnant water. When we look at the great 

 rocky glens which have been cut since the glacial period by some 

 of the nvers, we may feel pretty well satisfied that the pre-glacial 

 drainage-system was perfectly complete. 



What the land fauna and flora were like we have not a vestige 

 of evidence left to tell (at least available); the Reindeer and 

 Mammoth remains, with their accompanying few fresh-water plant- 

 seeds, cannot be taken as representatives, as they clearly belong 

 to the beginning of the "wintry period." The "shore-plants" 

 ound growmg on the flanks of Merrick (alt. 27 6 4 feet)-opposite 

 the Ayrshire border-may be descendants of species which 



