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XXXVIII. On the Geology of Lock Leven in Scotland. By 

 Mr, Gavin Inglis. 



To Mr. Tilloch. 



Dear Sir, — When I sent you Outlines of the Geological His- 

 tory of Loch Lomond, I pledged myself to furnish a similar ac- 

 count of Loch Leven in Fife, or rather in Kinross-shire. Since 

 that period I have been diligently making observations and col- 

 lecting materials for that purpose. 



Taking advantage of the present low state of the river flowing 

 from the lake to examine the depth and strata of the alluvial 

 soil, occupying what had formerlv been deep water, and now 

 forming the coarse lands between Auchmoor Bridge and Loch- 

 end, I took a trip up the river in a small flat-ljottomed boat. 

 I was favoured with a still day, a clear sky and radiant sun, whose 

 rays darting direct to the bottom of the deepest pools, uninter- 

 rupted by the smallest ruffle on the surface, enabled me, by the 

 reflected light, most distinctly to observe every layer of stratified 

 soil, the roots, trunks and branches of large oaks lying at the 

 depth, in some places, of 20 and 30 feet under the surface of the 

 bank. Doubling on by the windings of tiie stream, where the 

 last winter's floods had brought down part of the bank, I ob- 

 served hanging loosely from the side, something like a piece of 

 broken tile. Rowing immediately towards the spot, I discovered 

 it to be a fragment of one of those ancient terra coita vessels that 

 have occasionally been dug up in different parts. Looking at- 

 tentively into the opening left by the portion taken from the 

 bank, I could observe the edge of remaining fragments, which I 

 obtained by digging into the sandy clay ; and from the position 

 of what was thus procured, I judged the remainder must have 

 fallen into the water with the avalanche from the bank, and might 

 be found at the bottom. Siioving off the boat a little from the 

 edge and remaining still, till the ruffle on the surface had sub- 

 sided, I could distinctlv oI)serve the other parts lying at a consi- 

 derable depth, part still adhering to a lump of clayey soil in which 

 it had originally been imbedded. After many efforts and consi- 

 derable difficulty, I succeeded in recovering all the mouth of the 

 vessel, and some fragments of the side corresponding to those 

 parts taken from the bank. 



The mouth is 5 1^ inches in diameter; no handles 

 have been attached to it; and it is of this form : 

 The whole bears evident marks of having been 

 turned on a wheel. No glazing could be <lisco- 

 vered either on the surface of the vessel itself, or 

 in the surrounding soil, which was carefully ex- 

 amined on findiiin-none attached to the surface. The 



