320 Dugald Bell— Notes on Glen Roy. 



A general notice of his recently -published volume on "Ice- Work'' 



has already appeared in these pages. 1 The present writer desires, 

 with all respect, to add a few notes on some points in which 

 Scottish readers are more particularly interested. 



Jn liis preface, the author states that, in this hook, he has 

 "endeavoured to follow the example of a judge rather than of an 

 advocate ; that is, to sum up the evidence on each side of a case, 

 and leave the verdict to the jury." He admits that, " like any such 

 official," he has his "own view as to what the verdict should be, 

 and this doubtless will be disclosed to those who can read between 

 the lines." In other words, he does not claim that his summing-up 

 is absolutely without bias ; but that, as his opinion " has not been 

 formed hastily or without experience." the bias is in the right 

 direction. In such a case, it may safely be said, the assumed or 

 ostensible office of judge is very apt to merge altogether into that 

 of advocate, for extremely "thin partitions do their bounds divide." 

 Indeed, we think, there are many parts of the book which are far 

 more the work of an advocate — a very skilled advocate, we admit — 

 than of a judge. 



No doubt there are many things in all departments of science 

 which are not yet settled, and which require careful revisal and 

 restating from time to time. But the line of this "debatable 

 ground " is constantly being carried forward ; numbers of such 

 disputed points are always being disposed of, and taking their place 

 among the substantial additions to knowledge ; so that, unless some 

 new and unexpected evidence has emerged, further discussion of 

 them becomes out of date and unprofitable. We think that at this 

 time of day, a good many points in Glacial geology may be taken to 

 be in this position — practically settled, and placed in the category 

 of Res Judicata. Professor Bonney, however, reopens several of 

 them, about which there can hardly be said to be, or to have been 

 for many years, any question. 



One conspicuous instance of this is with regard to the well-known 

 " Parallel Eoads " of Glen Eoy. 



"It is agreed," remarks Dr. Bonney, "that these 'Eoads' are 

 teaches " ; but " the cause which brought the water to these levels 

 is still a matter of dispute. By some authorities the}' are considered 

 to have been formed by the sea when the land stood at a lower 

 level than at present; the highest being the oldest, and the second 

 and third marking pauses in the process of upheaval. By other 

 authorities they are attributed to fresh water, and are supposed to 

 have been formed on the shores of lakes which were held up by 

 glaciers during some part of the Ice Age." 2 



The " dispute " is thus represented as still pending, one on which 

 " authorities" are divided ; the truth being that there has been little 

 or no " dispute " on the subject for nearly thirty years, the advocates 

 of the glacier-lake theory being generally considered to have proved 

 their case, and the " authorities " being, for all that time, practically 



1 Geol. Mag., May, 1896. 



2 "Ice-Work," pp. 94-7. 



