204 Mr. R. Harkness on the position of the Impressions of 



portion of the county in which this deposit prevails is the south- 

 east, where it abuts against the representatives of the mountain 

 limestone formation as they occur in Dumfries-shire. Of the 

 small isolated patch lying in the north-west we have no evidence 

 to show that it affords any traces of footsteps, and its position 

 with reference to the other two deposits cannot be distinctly 

 made out. It is however probable that originally it existed as 

 a part of the larger deposits which occur to the south, from 

 which it has been detached by the eroding action of the waters 

 of the river Nith. 



It is in the district containing the largest area of sandstone 

 that the footsteps are found in the greatest abundance. In the 

 quarries of Corncockle and Templand village in the parish of 

 Lochmaben, and also in those of Locherbriggs and Craigs in 

 Dumfries, as well as at Green Mill in Caerlaverock, impressions 

 occur more or less abundantly. At Corncockle they are more 

 common, and in general more perfect than in any of the other 

 quarries, and the tracks there are in some instances of such a 

 character as to indicate that animals different in form traversed 

 the sand, and that they bore little or no relation to those which 

 impressed the strata in the other quarries. The more common 

 footmarks are however to be obtained from all the diiferent 

 quarries. 



The nature of the sandstone in the quarries which afford the 

 tracks is to a great extent similar. The direction of the dip and 

 also the inclination approach in localities where steps occur ; 

 and the position of the sandstone relative to the subjacent and 

 surrounding Silurian is such as to show that the whole of the 

 quarries owe their inclination to the same elevating cause. At 

 Corncockle the sandstone consists of beds varying in thickness 

 from one foot to four ; and the beds are in some cases laminated ; 

 the laminae occurring more frequently in the upper portion of the 

 bed than in the lower. Sometimes the laminae have a contorted 

 appearance, and the brown and red layers which constitute these 

 laminse are the faces along which the stratum splits easily into 

 flags. The texture of the rock is remarkably uniform, being fine 

 and hard, with the red colour which prevails amongst the Bunter 

 sandstones. In its bedding the rock is so regular as to be quar- 

 ried along the planes of the strata with so much ease, that it is 

 no rare occurrence to find an undisturbed perfectly smooth face 

 of rock extending from the top to the bottom of the quarry, and 

 almost from one side to the other. The faces of the beds are in 

 some cases separated by very thin layers of fine clay, and when 

 this is removed they have in some instances a burnished aspect. 

 The dip of the beds here is towards the west at an angle of 

 about 34°. 



