PEAT MAKING. 



In his admirable work, "The Scenery of Scotland 

 Viewed in Connection with Its Physical Geology," Sir 

 Archibald Geikie says : "It is a common opinion that 

 the peat mosses of Scotland are of a comparatively 

 modern date not older indeed than the Roman in- 

 vasion, because 'all the coins, axes, arms and other 

 utensils found in them are Roman/ But these relics 

 are better understood now than they formerly were ; 

 and though in some cases their Roman date may be 

 beyond doubt, they are admitted to belong generally 

 to the earlier time, known to the antiquary as the 

 Bronze Period." Sir Archibald adds : "There can be 

 little doubt that peat-bogs would begin to accumulate 

 as soon as aquatic vegetation commenced to grow in 

 the hollows from which the ice and snow of the 

 Glacial Period had retired. The lower part of many 

 of our mosses probably date back to that ancient time 

 when the vegetation of the country was still Arctic 

 in character, and consisted largely of dwarf willows 

 and birches, though the higher portions may belong to 

 much more recent periods, when the flora had be- 

 come that of a temperate climate." The eminent geol- 

 ogist believes that "it may not be too much to hope 

 that from Scottish peat mosses further relics may yet 

 be obtained of the animals that preceded, or were 

 contemporary with, the earliest human population of 

 the country the mammoth, rhinoceros, reindeer, musk- 

 ox, bear, Irish elk, the progenitors of our present races 

 of cattle, and other denizens of forest and glade." Sir 

 Archibald corroborates the statement of Chalmers be- 

 fore quoted. He says: "That some mosses in Scot- 

 land have sprung up after the destruction of forests 



