218 Clement Reid — Scotch Inter-Glacial Deposits. 



on a criticism, though I have only had the opportunity of examining 

 two of the localities in the field. 



The inter- Glacial date of these masses is accepted by Professor 

 Geikie, and by many other Scottish geologists, and in my notes on 

 the Geological History of the Flora of Britain ^ their view was 

 adopted, though with great hesitation as regards one of the principal 

 localities, a railway-cutting in Cowden Glen, in Renfrewshire. 

 Subsequent work on the abundant material sent by Mr. James 

 Bennie and other observers, and an examination of the Hailes and 

 Eedhall quarries, has convinced me that the majority of the plants 

 found in the three most important deposits are of comparatively 

 late date, probably not older than the Neolithic period. 



Taking the localities one by one, in the order of their botanical 

 importance, the first place must be given to the section seen in the 

 railway cutting at Cowden Glen ("Great Ice Age," pp. 102-104). 

 This locality I have not examined, so can only speak of the botanical 

 evidence ; but it may be remarked that several competent observers 

 have already objected to the acceptation of the peat as inter-Glacial, 

 on the ground that the drift there is constantly slipping down the 

 steep slope, so that the occurrence of Boulder-clay over the peat is 

 insufficient to prove that the peat is the older of the two. When 

 writing my previous paper ^ I remarked that " the plants do not 

 throw any light on the question, for they are all species still living 

 in the district." But since then I have received a larger series of 

 specimens from Mr. Bennie, and among them two seeds of the 

 garden or opium poppy (Papaver sommferum) , I have not the 

 slightest doubt as to tlie accuracy of this determination ; but it is 

 extremely improbable that such a plant was a native of Britain 

 in inter-Glacial times. The whole assemblage of the plants, and 

 the state of preservation of the animal remains, such as caddis-cases, 

 winter eggs of Spongilla and Cristatella, and fragments of Daphnia, 

 suggest to me an extremely recent date for this deposit. 



Next in importance is Hailes Quarry, close to Edinburgh (see 

 "Great Ice Age," p. 99). Here the botanical evidence is somewhat 

 different, for the base of the peaty loam yields a trul}'^ Arctic flora, 

 ■while the higher parts contain only temperate plants. It is possible 

 that the bed with Arctic willows may be inter-Glacial, though I was 

 unable to find any Boulder-clay above it ; but as regards the upper 

 portion, the occurrence of charcoal, of seeds of flax, fool's parsley, 

 corn marigold (^Chrysanthemum segetimi), chamomile {^Matricaria 

 inodora), and hemp-nettle (Galeopsis Tetrahit) is against the great 

 antiquity of this deposit. 



As regards Redhall Quarry, also close to Edinburgh, the evidence 

 seems even more decidedly to be against the inter-Glacial age of the 

 peat (see "Great Ice Age," pp. 100-101). The section was not clear 

 when I visited it, so I can say nothing as to the stratigraphical 

 evidence, except that the slope of the ground seemed quite sufficient 

 to cause slipping in so unstable a deposit as the Till. The botanical 



1 Annals of Botany, vol. ii. No. vi, August, 1888. 



2 Op. cit. p. 183. 



