20 The Geology of Lochrutton. 



moving in a straight line eastward and climbing the hills 

 which lay in their path. 



During the closing scenes of the Glacial Age the valley 

 ice, following the line of least resistance, turned from its 

 easterly course below the Merkland and travelled north along 

 the narrow transverse valley until it encountered the 

 Crocketford ice moving down the Bogrie valley. On account 

 of the easterly direction of the lower valley, and also because 

 of its larger size, the Crocketford ice absorbed the smaller 

 g-lacier — the whole moving out at the Glen and the Grove 

 g^orges. While the Rutton ice was intercepted at the valley 

 mouth, the escaping streams rapidly deposited sub-glacial 

 moraines under the tunnelled ice. The Moat lands at present 

 show a peculiar arrangement of these morainic drums. 

 Towards the Bar the direction of their long axes is east and 

 west, but nearer the Loch they run north and south along 

 the course of the buried channel. 



At the farm of Merklandwell there is another moraine- — 

 a drumlin — sitting alone in the middle of the valley. While 

 it also is of sub-glacial origin, yet its outward form is entirely 

 different from the two varieties previously described. It is 

 much shorter, and its complete Isolation gives it an appear- 

 ance of height. The bend of the old river course a little 

 further along the valley may have been responsible for its 

 formation in one of the huge crevasses, or it may be of the 

 nature of a roche mouionuee resting upon the ground 

 moraine of an older date. 



One thing is certain, it represents the very last phase of 

 glaciation — the finishing touch of Nature in that prolonged 

 and gigantic process of earth sculpture which is responsible 

 for the scenery of to-day. 



Formation of Lochs. 



We have considered two barriers thrown across the 

 Rutton valley — the partial and temporary block at Merk- 

 landwell and the large deposit filling the valley from Auchen- 

 franco downwards. The new streams would accumulate in 

 the hollows thus formed, giving in the first place two distinct 

 lochs. Evidently the water would continue to rise until the 



