130 



below the shale; the stems of the latter being formed of a hard coal 

 with a bright shining fracture. This character of the coal may be 

 partly due to the action of several dikes which here cut the 

 strata. An adit was opened in the hill above on the strike of 

 the seam, but no coal was found. 



A little to the west of this, beyond a shingly beach, sandstones 

 and shales again appear. The shales contain beds of ironstone, 

 some of which have the structure of septaria; and these, with 

 the variegated shales, form on the shore a flat platform, with a 

 tesselated appearance, like a mosaic pavement. " I doubt," says 

 Mr. Headrick (p. 210), " if the most skilful mason, or even a mathe- 

 matician, could produce anything more regular or more beautiful." 



Farther on about half-way between the Salt Pans and the " Cock 

 of Arran" several beds of red limestone, rich in fossils, and of red 

 shale, occur. It is interesting to notice the perforations of pholades 

 in the limestone above the level of the present tides, as being a 

 striking collateral proof of that change of level to which we have 

 so often alluded. 



These limestones are succeeded by a series of sandstones, shales, 

 and fine conglomerates, overlaid in their turn by variegated marls, 

 containing nodular ironstone, and by white sandstone. Over the 

 latter, a little way east of the Cock, lie beds of fine red sand, alternat- 

 ing with fine conglomerate, the dip of both being 65 W. of N., at 

 23. These beds, with the white and red sandstones which succeed 

 them westwards till the schist is reached beyond the Scriden, are the 

 uppermost members of the whole series, which begins to overlie the 

 old red sandstone near the Fallen Rocks. From their position and 

 mineral character they have been classed as new red sandstone by 

 Murchison, Sedgwick, and Ramsay. Mineralogically, they have a 

 much greater resemblance to lower permian strata than any of the 

 rocks in the southern district ; but we refer them, notwithstanding, 

 to the upper carboniferous series, till fossils shall be found which 

 may decide the question. 



The Cock of Arran near which this series begins, is a large iso- 

 lated mass of sandstone, resting on the beach, a noted landmark among 

 sailors. When seen in front from the sea the block had the form of a 

 cock, with expanded wings, in the act of crowing. The resemblance is 

 now less striking, as the head has been broken off. Beside this block 

 there are two singular whin dikes close together, on the flat beach, 

 about two feet wide. They terminate in the sandstone, almost 

 opposite to one another, and are prolonged in contrary directions. 



90. The following list comprises all the known fossils of the car- 



