Geological Features of the District of Suchan. 41 



are found mingled with the other pebbles, evidently brought there by the 

 waves. They are also found, although sparingly, on the southern ridge or 

 Stirling hill. But on the Blackhill, and the neighbouring hill of Inver- 

 nettie, the surface is almost covered with them. This ridge, at the distance 

 of about seven-and-a-half mUes from the sea, at Salthouse Head, attains an 

 inland distance of about five miles from the coast opposite Slains. The 

 flints are met with on the surface at various points along this line. The 

 ridge is bare and moorish, covered with peat and heather, and this 

 prevents the accurate tracing of the flints. At this point, however, 

 seven-and-a-half miles along the line of the ridge, and about five miles 

 from the sea, opposite Slains, they have been laid bare. 



They occur at the extreme verge of the parish of Old Deer, and are 

 principally seen on the farm of Bogingarry, on the lands of Kinmundy. 

 The ridge of hill on which they occur, here trends to the north, coming 

 round again towards the west, so as to expose to the south a deep 

 bay, with a considerable inclination towards the south. The hill is 

 crowned with moss and heather, part of which has been planted. The 

 south face of the hill has, however, been under cultivation during the last 

 twenty-five or thirty years. The flints are seen on the surface, commen- 

 cing pretty far up on the east side of the hollow, and following at the same 

 height the form of the bay, disappearing among the heather which has 

 not yet been removed on the extreme west. They are in great abundance, 

 covering a space of some twelve to twenty yards in breadth. 



About 1830, in cutting a ditch to carry off the surface water from 

 the garden of the farm house of Bogingarry, the bed of flints was come 

 on, and found to be of considerable thickness. The ditch ran from south- 

 west to north-east, traversing the flint bed ; and a short cross one lay in 

 the line of the bed. 



When I saw the ditch first, it had been cut a good many years, and 

 liad become partly filled up. It had, however, a most singular appear- 

 ance. It was crossed by the road to the house ; and the water-run of 

 the bridge was quite choked with rounded flints of all sizes. Above the 

 bridge the bottom of the ditch was quite covered with rounded flints 

 brought down by torrents. As you ascended the bm-u you could see the 

 nature of the ground. The layer of soil was extremely thin, and below 

 it the ditch was cut through a stift" yellow clay, scarcely a pure clay, 

 more like a yellow clayey gravel, and so hard as to be pierced with 

 extreme difficulty. Until you reach the bed itself very few flints are to 

 be seen amongst the clay. The top end of the ditch and the cross one 

 are in the bed. The flints lie closely packed together, imbedded in 

 the already mentioned clayey matrix. 



They wither when exposed to the air, becoming white, and in some 

 cases, shivered. When newly taken out of the bed they usually break 

 with a clear fracture, but they soon become hard and lose their fiicile 

 cleavage. Every one contains some trace of organic remains. I liave 

 examined a great many and never missed seeing some indication of siicli, 



