210 Mr. Bowman on the Natural Terraces 
would not affect the general truth of the formation of ter- 
races by tidal action, to find occasional and slight inequalities 
of level; even if originally horizontal, such inequalities might 
be easily produced in the process of upheaving ; and the real 
ground of surprise is that they should retain the uniform and 
perfect parallelism they do, as those of Glen Roy. But the 
deflections and discrepancies I now speak of are relative to 
the general surface of the terraces, and to each other, on the 
detached portions where they occur ; and therefore, admitting 
them to have been sea-beaches, they must be occasioned by 
slips from increase of gravity of the mass, when raised out of 
the water. 
On reaching the summit of the hill, the terrace No. 1 seems 
best developed on the S.S.E. side, and is extended into an 
uregular shaped plateau, whose surface, though approaching 
to a rude horizontality, is far too rounded and uneven to 
have been formed by the action of water. In one place, 
where the terrace can scarcely be traced, and where the defi- 
ciency might be attributed to a subsequent slip, there is no 
apparent accumulation below; but, on the contrary, a hollow 
or depression in the surface. On looking downwards on the 
S.E. side of the hill, I could see no other terrace below it. 
The upper terraces of the middle hill may be comprehended 
in the above general description; their surfaces have many 
elevations and depressions, and for the most part slope out- 
wards from the mountain. On both the hills, all that I ex- 
amined consist of the same material, viz. a mass of angular 
fragments of the red compact felspar rock from above, the 
only difference being, that on the eastern hill they are mixed 
with a stiff red clay and covered with vegetable sward, while 
the upper ones of the middle hill have no such covering. I 
looked carefully on both, wherever I had the opportunity, 
for rounded pebbles, gravel, sand, or other drift, but with- 
out seeing a vestige of either. In the sequel I shall again 
allude to this peculiarity. 
‘Looking back upon the group of the Eildons from the road 
between Melrose and Abbotsford, and all the way to Gala- 
shiels, several of the terraces on their northern face, which 
rises above Melrose and the broad valley of the Tweed, may 
be seen stretching in true horizontal lines of considerable 
length, the minor inequalities of level being lost m the gene- 
ral effect. This is an important fact in favour of their origin 
from water. I looked in vain for similar appearances on the 
opposite or north bank of the Tweed, on Cowden Knows, 
and up the valley of the Leader, in all which places the hills 
are lower and smoother, and for the most part covered with 
