66 Robert Campbell — South-Eastern Kincardineshire. 



the northern face of the headland at Puthery Head, and thence in 

 an easterly direction along the foreshore to low- water mark. Although 

 the un conform able character of the junction is obscured to some 

 extent, as noted above, still the marked difference in direction of the 

 main structural lines in the two series of rocks is quite sufficient to 

 allow of the unconformity being traced with absolute certainty. The 

 planes of bedding in the Downtonian strata clip at a high angle to the 

 south-south-east; the main structural planes in the Cambrian (?), 

 both cleavages and bedding, in igneous and sedimentary rocks alike, 

 dip towards the north-west. An overthrust fault which crosses 

 Ruthery Head in a north-easterly direction shifts the outcrop of the 

 lowest breccia 160 yards to the south-west. From this fault the 

 unconformity can be traced for a considerable distance along the fore- 

 shore in a westerly direction (see Sketch-map). 



While a detailed description of the whole succession cannot be 

 attempted in a short preliminary paper, two further points will be 

 dealt with. 



1. The series of grey sandstones and sandy shales and green and 

 grey mudstones (No. 6 in above table), alike in lithological character 

 and in fossil contents, show quite clearly the Silurian rather than Old 

 Red affinity of this succession. About 20 yards east of Cowie Harbour 

 is a thick belt of grey and greenish mudstones and shale which yield 

 Dictyocaris in great abundance. On visiting this section in August, 

 1909, in company with Dr. Peach and Mr. W. T. Gordon, we found 

 not only Dictyocaris but also JSurypterus sp. and fragmentary plant- 

 remains, and Mr. Gordon discovered in a thin bed of reddish sandy 

 mudstone several fish-plates. Some of the fish -fragments were 

 suggestive of Birlcenia. Mr. Gordon and Dr. Peach joined me again 

 during the past summer in order that we might try to get material 

 sufficient to establish the horizon of this fish fauna. Considerable 

 additions were made to the finds of the previous summer. The fishes 

 were submitted to Dr. P. H. Traquair, who has been good enough to 

 send me the following preliminary note : — 



" The fish-remains from Cowie, Stonehaven, consist of — 



" Pirst : Small scutes which are about three times as long as they 

 are broad, slightly convex on one side and correspondingly concave on 

 the other, and apparently pointed at both ends. They seem to me 

 to be referable to the category of Cephalaspidian scutes, only the 

 external ornament, where visible, consists of longitudinal and slightly 

 wavy striae in place of tubercles. That the species to which they 

 belong is as yet unnamed and undescribed is pretty certain, but the 

 advent of additional material is desirable before proceeding further in 

 that direction. 



" Second : Several fragments of thin, minutely tuberculated plates 

 which may also be Cephalaspidian, though their nature is indeed 

 problematical. 



" Third : Two median plates of a beautiful new Cyathaspis. 



" The specimens from the grey sandstones overlying the fish-band 

 consist of irregular blackish and reddish blotch-like films, which, on 

 examination with a lens, show in many cases a honeycomb-like marking, 

 consisting of minute polygonal areas, whose margins are on one side 



