CHAPTEE XIIL 



DICK'S SEARCHINGS AMONGST THE 

 BOULDER CLAY. 



DICK tested the statements of other geologists, no matter 

 how distinguished, by his own observations. Thus, he 

 found that Sir Charles Lyell had stated, in his Elements 

 of Geology, that very few organic remains had been 

 found in the boulder clay, and especially in the till, 

 throughout Scotland. 



" Now," says Dick to Hugh Miller, " you see the 

 results of my observations. Marine shells have been 

 found in nearly all the sections of boulder clay that I 

 have met with. But I thought it better, instead of 

 further searching the clay near Thurso, to try another 

 direction. I accordingly determined to travel to Fres- 

 wick Bay, on the east side of the county, and trace up 

 the burn there." 



This journey from Thurso to Freswick was only one 

 of the many instances of Dick's enthusiastic deter- 

 mination in the cause of science. The distance was 

 twenty-four miles. It took him six hours of unflinch- 

 ing walking to reach the scene of his operations. It 

 was October, and the weather was growing cold. Dick 

 went across the Broad Linns extending from Barwick to 



