Messrs Peach <&) Home on Old Bed Sandstone of Shetland. 8 5 



brings this flaggy series into conjunction with the metamor- 

 phic rocks. It may be followed southwards along the base of 

 the hills towards the Dunrossness Manse, where it probably 

 dies out, as the flags succeed the basal breccias of Loch 

 Spiggie without any apparent dislocation. Round Boddam, 

 and southwards towards Lambhoga Head, the characteristic 

 features of the Lerwick grits and sandstones are displayed, 

 the underlying Rovey Head conglomerates being represented 

 on the shore west of Sumburgh Head, and west of Boddam. 



On the eastern side of the Mainland, therefore, the highest 

 beds are represented by the Lerwick sandstones, and it is only 

 when we pass to the east side of Bressay that the overlying 

 series is to be met with. Along the eastern shores of 

 Bressay, and in the island of Noss, the beds consist of gTcy, 

 blue, and red flags, with occasional bands of breccia and 

 reddish grey sandstones, which remind one forcibly of the 

 flaggy series in Caithness and Orkney. The appearance of 

 these beds encourages the hope that ichthyolites will yet be 

 found in them, though a careful search failed to bring any to 

 light. At the base of Noss Head we discovered a zone of 

 dark shale, with limestone nodules, which strongly resembles 

 the well-known fish-bed on both sides of the Moray Firth. 



The flaggy strata of Bressay and l^oss are pierced by a 

 remarkable series of volcanic pipes, which we shall refer to 

 presently when we come to discuss the igneous rocks asso- 

 ciated with this formation. 



In the peninsular tract of country which lies between 

 Weesdale and the western shores of Walls and Sandness 

 there is a great series of rocks, which have hitherto been con- 

 sidered as forming part of the metamorphic series. At the 

 north-west corner of this area a small strip of ground, border- 

 ing the coast at Melby House, about a mile and a half in 

 length, is occupied by Old Red Sandstone rocks, which have 

 been referred to by previous observers. The strata in this 

 small patch consist of reddish sandstones, with dark blue 

 flags and shales, which are faulted against the quartzites and 

 shales of Sandness Hill. 



With this exception, however, the strata in the tract now 

 referred to consist of red and grey quartzites, with red and 



