TRANSACTIONS OF THE SECTIONS. 69 
On the Reptiliferous and Footprint Sandstones of the North-east of Scotland. 
By Professor Harxness, F.R.S. 
The author, after having carefully examined all the localities in the district 
around Elgin where rocks are exposed, has been enabled to arrive at a series of 
sections which place the reptiliferous sandstones of this neighbourhood in their 
proper position. 
‘he arrangement of the strata in this part of Scotland was made out generally 
by Sir Roderick Murchison and Prof. Sedgwick about thirty-five years ago, and sub- 
sequently Sir Roderick Murchison has added considerably to the details of the geo- 
logy of this area. The rocks in this part of Scotland were all regarded as belonging 
to the Old Red Sandstone group until, a few years ago, the remains of a Crocodile 
(Stagonolepis) were discovered in the higher portion of the series. This led pale- 
ontologists to look upon the reptiliferous sandstones of Elgin as appertaining to the 
Triassic formation ; but, from the sequence of the strata and their mineral nature, 
some geologists have still regarded these rocks as upper members of the Old Red 
series. As no distinct sections had been made out of the sequence of the strata, the 
evidence of conformability between the several strata was not perfectly satisfactory. 
The author has, from his observations, now obtained a series of sections from the 
lower beds of the Old Red, which, in this district, repose upon the metamorphic rocks, 
to the deposits which overlie the reptiliferous sandstones. These sections exhibit the 
following sequence of rocks :—Base of the Old Red (which here does not manifest the 
lowest nor even the middle members of the group), a mass of purple conglomerate, 
succeeded by purplish sandstones (Scat Crag beds) with remains of Bothriolepis and 
Holoptychius, upon which repose grey sandstones with pebble-beds containing the 
same fossils. These latter pass upwards into yellow sandstones (Bishop’s Mill beds) 
containing Holoptychius and Glyptopomus, have pebble-beds above them, and upon 
these latter the reptiliferous sandstones repose, being succeeded by limestone (corn- 
stone). The whole of the strata have a perfect conformity, and the agreement in 
the conformity and the sequence of the strata can be seen in several spots in the 
district around Elgin. 
The author next described a continuous section seen along the Ross-shire coast, 
from the Nigg to Tarbetness. In this section the whole of the Old Red Sandstone, 
from its lower members to its upper beds, is seen continuously, the sequence and 
conformity of the deposits being perfect. From the upper beds of this section the 
Rey. Messrs. Cam ell and Joass have obtained footprints, some of which are 
identical with the Ichnolites from the reptiliferous sandstones of the Elgin country, 
and the upper members of the Old Red Sandstones here have a great affinity in 
nature and sequence to their representatives on the southern side of the Moray 
Firth. From this section in Ross-shire, and from the sections which can be obtained 
in Morayshire, the author has now no doubt that reptile life, in the form of Croco- 
diles and in other forms, existed during the deposition of the strata which make up 
the higher members of the Old Red Sandstone in this part of Scotland. 
On the Fossils of the Skiddaw Slates. By Professor Harkness, F.R.S. 
The Skiddaw slates, lying above the Lingula-flags, had at one time been regarded 
as Azoic. They were first brought within the series of rocks producing life-remains 
by Professor M‘Coy, who described two Graptolites and sea-plants (Chondrites) dis- 
covered in them. Investigations lately made by the author in the neighbourhood 
of Keswick had removed them in paleontological character very far above their 
supposed position. He had obtained the remains of a shrimp-like Crustacean, allied 
to Ceratiocaris, upon which Mr. Salter had founded a new genus, Caryocaris, and a 
shell of Discina. The family of Graptolites, regarded as typical of the age, had 
been increased by his investigations, representatives of seven genera having been 
obtained, four of which were confined to this group of rock strata. The forms 
discovered belonged to the genera Dendrograpsis, Phyllograptus, Tetragrapsus, Dicho- 
grapsus, Didymograpsus, Diplograpsus, and the better-known Graptolites. In con- 
clusion, Professor Harkness alluded to the fact that the forms of Graptolites which 
occur the earliest in time are of the most complicated design, thus affording no 
support to the progression-theory. 
