400 LOWEST RED SANDSTONE. 



ceed to such an extent as in the primary, and can 

 never be said to amount to contortions, 



It has been imagined that red sandstone 

 formed veins passing through the adjoining strata, 

 as has also been asserted of the upper sandstones. 

 It were a waste of time to try to prove the erro- 

 neous nature of an opinion which could only 

 originate in a total misapprehension of the nature 

 of a vein. 



Red sandstone sometimes exhibits peculiari- 

 ties of internal structure, but they are seldom 

 visible in the entire rock : such as they are, they 

 are detected by the action of the weather, to 

 which the softer parts yield most readily. 



Like granite, this rock sometimes splits into 

 cuboidal and prismatic masses, which afterwards 

 become rounded at the angles, so as frequently 

 to emulate, at a distance, the appearance so often 

 exhibited by that substance. As in granite also, 

 it may frequently be concluded, that masses of 

 red sandstone must contain intersecting laminae 

 of a harder texture than the general body of 

 the rock, as the exposed surfaces present reticu- 



