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EXCUESION IV. 



THE WAYSIDE MUSEUM. 



85. THE student of geology will make little progress in this 

 delightful science without a thorough practical acquaintance with the 

 mineralogical distinctions of rocks. He must first know a few of 

 the common simple minerals ; quartz and its varieties, amethyst, 

 smoke quartz, hornstone, jasper, &c. ; felspar, and its varieties, as glassy 

 and compact felspar, and albite; mica, talc, chlorite, hornblende, 

 augite, hypersthene, olivine, and calcspar. Of these, quartz, felspar, 

 mica, hornblende, and augite are the components of almost all the 

 mountain rocks of the globe. Knowing these, he will easily make 

 out the composition of most rocks. With every term a definite idea 

 will then be connected, and the study of the subject will be smooth 

 and pleasant henceforward. Arran is an epitome of the globe, 

 our Wayside Museum is an epitome of Arran, in so far as a 

 collection of rocks is concerned. In two or three visits to this col- 

 lection, with a book in his hand descriptive of rocks, or a friend by 

 his side qualified to instruct him, the student will gam an acquaint- 

 ance with rocks which he can never learn from hand specimens, 

 an acquaintance which is absolutely necessary to all true progress in 

 the science. 



The collection of which we speak is easily visited. Leaving the 

 village of Lower Invercloy at the smithy, and passing up the hill 

 along the old Lamlash road, we are upon it at once. It is simply a 

 stone fence, bounding the road on the east side, and reaching from 

 the brow of the old seacliff to the top of the hill. The stones of 

 which it consists were gathered from the adjoining fields, across 

 whose surface they were spread out during the " diluvial era," or the 

 " glacial period." 



We shall merely name the principal rocks found here, without 

 attempting any description. Granite, several varieties; primary 

 slate, banded like gneiss; hornblende rock, mica clay and chlorite 

 slates, and quartz ; red sandstone and conglomerate, containing 

 mica-slate and quartz pebbles ; pitchstone and pitchstone porphyry, 

 several varieties; a complete suite of the trap rocks ; from coarse 

 crystalline greenstone through basalt to pitchstone, a regular gra- 

 dation may be traced. There are two principal varieties of trap 

 porphyry, that is, fine greenstone containing imbedded crystals 



