272 DICK'S MAP OF CAITHNESS. CHAP. xvn. 



of " a very fine specimen of Asterolepis," for which their 

 Lordships of the Committee of Privy Council of Educa- 

 tion sent Mr. Dick their best acknowledgments. 



Sir Roderick Murchison was much more fortunate in 

 finding Dick at liberty on his next visit to Thurso. 

 Besides, he had Charles Peach with him, who soon made 

 everything smooth between the baronet and the baker. 

 They were both introduced to the bakehouse. It was 

 only Dick's intimate friends who were introduced to 

 that sanctum sanctorum. Dick was still in his working 

 clothes. A conversation took place about the dip of 

 certain rocks in Caithness. Sir Roderick complained of 

 the want of any sufficient map of the county. Here 

 Dick could chime in with him. In fact, he had wandered 

 over the whole length and breadth of the county, and 

 found that the existing maps were mere " bosh." " But if 

 you will permit me," he said, " I will endeavour to show 

 you a map of Caithness." "By all means," said the 

 baronet. 



Taking up a few handfuls of flour, and spreading it 

 out on the baking board, Dick proceeded to mould a 

 model in relief of the geological structure of Caithness. 

 He showed all the principal features of the county the 

 hills and dales, the rocks and cliffs, the dislocations and 

 fractures, the watersheds and the drainage, and, in fact, 

 an outline of the entire geography of the county. To 

 quote the words of Sir Roderick Murchisoii, "Mr. 

 Robert Dick directed my notice to the presence of 

 numerous powerful fractures and dislocations in the 

 flagstones ranging over Caithness, and which, to the 



