132 Proceedings of the Boycd Physical Society. 



HoLYROOD Lake. 



In the years 1887 and 1888 a new sewer was made 

 througli the hollow that lies between Salisbury Crags and 

 the slope of St John's Hill, and several beds of gravel, clay 

 marl, and peat were cut into, which marked the site of an old 

 lake. For distinction sake it may be called the Holyrood 

 Lake, as, from the configuration of the ground, the lake 

 deposits must extend under the palace. These lake deposits 

 have been referred to by three of our local geologists : — 

 first by Mr Andrew Taylor in describing the strata cut into 

 in making a gas tank, Trans. Geol. Soc. of Edinhurgh, vol. v., 

 p. 44; secondly by Mr John Henderson, also in same 

 Transactions, vol. v., p. 407; and thirdly by Messrs J. A. 

 Johnston and J. Lindsay in Trans. Edinburgh Naturalist 

 Field Club, vol. ii., p. 135, who give a plan and section from 

 measurements and bores furnished by Mr J. Massie of the 

 Burgh Engineer's Office. One of the bores may be quoted 

 entire, as it gives the strata passed through from the surface 

 to the rock-head — (1.) Forced material, 3 ft. 2 in. ; (2.) yellow 

 clay, 2 ft. 4 in. ; (3.) peat, 3 ft. ; (4.) marl, 9 ft. ; (5.) mud 

 (white and brown), 2 ft. 6 in. ; (6.) clay (blue and red), 1 ft. 

 9 in. ; (7.) rough gravel, 4 ft. 6 in. ; (8.) clay and small stones, 

 5 ft. 6 in. ; (9.) blue clay, 7 ft. 7 in. ; (10.) Blaes ;— in all, 

 39 ft. 3 in., 26 feet of which we may consider as deposited by 

 the ancient lake, proving that the lake period was a long one 

 from first to last. Those who wish further details may 

 consult with advantage the three papers to which we have 

 referred, especially that of Johnston and Lindsay, which is 

 the most minute in its descriptions. For ourselves we shall 

 notice roughly the section as it appeared to us while 

 gathering the samples of marl and clay. Lowest was a bed 

 of sand and gravel, the gravel being well rounded and the 

 sand free from clay or earth ; then a bed of white clay with- 

 out shells, or only a few ; then a marl crowded with shells, 

 very cohesive and felted with vegetable debris ; then upper- 

 most a bed of peat, brown and compact, in which twigs and 

 portions of wood were frequent. The shells, as usual in these 



