50 THE ORDNANCE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY CHAP, n 



but coveted intervals of holiday, was now to be the 

 constant business of his life. Day after day, as he 

 went out with map and hammer, it seemed to him 

 still holiday work. He brought the same insight and 

 ardour to the study of the Welsh region as he had 

 shown in that of Arran. And before long the 

 Director recognised that in his new recruit he had 

 obtained by far the ablest member of his staff. 



For upwards of four years the Survey continued 

 to advance across South Wales. During this period 

 Ramsay gradually worked his way northwards from 

 the southern coast-line of Pembrokeshire across the 

 counties of Caermarthen, Brecknock, and Cardigan, 

 into those of Montgomery and Radnor. Professor 

 John Phillips was with him for a short time along the 

 Pembrokeshire coast before establishing himself among 

 the Malvern Hills, which he mapped in detail. H. W. 

 Bristow was at work in Gloucestershire, where Ramsay 

 joined him (p. 235), and afterwards, under Phillips, took 

 a share in mapping the Oolites of the Cotteswold Hills 

 and of the Cheltenham, Wotton-under-Edge, and Bath 

 district. 1 But in these early years his time was almost 

 wholly devoted to the older rocks in Wales. 



The geological structure of the Welsh region in 

 which he was called upon to labour proved to be exces- 

 sively complicated. It had been only cursorily examined 

 by previous observers. De la Beche and Phillips were 

 content to map its southern outskirts in a somewhat 

 sketchy manner. Its real difficulties remained to be 

 discovered and grappled with. After his first year's 

 experience Ramsay drew up a draft report of his 

 operations. Unfortunately this report was never 

 printed, nor do its conclusions appear to have been 



1 See Prefatory Notice to ' Geology of East Somerset,' Mem. Geol. Surv. 1876. 



