88 Mr. Edward Lovett on Glacial Deposits, &c. 



former were rounded knolls and gentle slopes covered with rich 

 grass, and occasionally supporting small woods and copses of 

 rich growth. It was amongst these that the quaint grey stone 

 villages and sleepy little farm-houses nestled, hardly distinguish- 

 able at a distance from the bare crags on the hUls above them. 



There was no doubt that this luxuriant pasture-land was not 

 bare rock, but a more congenial soil, and I concluded that it was 

 drift or glacial clay. For some time I was unable to find any 

 section of these mounds exposed, for the numerous streams, 

 although in some cases cutting through them to the underlying 

 rock, presented no favourable sections, as the clay had slipped 

 in so as to form a slope, which had rapidly become clothed with 

 thick undergrowth and trees. Later on, however, I found an 

 excavation which had been made for the purpose of obtaining 

 road-material at an accessible spot, the excavators being probably 

 prompted by the fact that the field, being particularly stony, 

 the clay would yield the material required. I found this to be a 

 moraine, but of a silty character, and containing numerous sub- 

 angular fragments of the local rocks, mountain limestone, &c. 

 I was unable to trace any granite, but quartzite was represented. 



I next ascertained that at a distance of seven miles from where 

 I was staying was a lake of some 150 acres, known as Semer- 

 water, about which there is a curious legend. Like many 

 continental lakes, Semerwater covers a submerged city, at least 

 so tradition informs us. I need hardly say that it is a thoroughly 

 typical glacial lake. It lies in a long valley flanked by high hills, 

 and narrows off towards some much higher ground. I examined 

 the stones on the shore of that end of it which trended towards 

 the river, but found none scratched or striated. 



I observed, however, that at a short distance, probably reached 

 by the lake at flood periods, was a long ridge or mound, like a 

 large earthwork, which I found was the terminal moraine that 

 had originally formed the lake. Upon examining this carefully 

 I dug out some fine examples of limestone blocks striated, 

 grooved, and scratched by the action of ice. These I exhibit 

 here. So much for the local legend. I may here remark that I 

 found the fresh- water Crayfish (Astacusjiuviatiiis)liv'mgint\ie\ake. 



I next visited Saltburn, on the Yorkshire coast. The cliffs to 

 the nortli of Saltburn are composed of glacial clay, forming a 

 deposit as large as that at the mouth of the Eiver Tyne. 



This glacial clay is very tenacious, and is thickly interspersed 

 with limestone and other blocks, most of which were very 

 decidedly striated, grooved, and scratched. Some were of great 

 size ; but I obtained a few good specimens of portable bulk, 

 which I also exhibit. There were also numerous fragments of 

 quartzite, which I believe assisted materially in scratching the 

 transported blocks during the period of the glaciers. 



