Dr. C. Davison— British Earthquakes, 1893-99. 171 



value from the evidence they furnish with regard to the hade of the 

 great fault which forms the southern boundary of the Highlands. 

 The study of a slight shock, which occurred on July 12, 1895, led to 

 the inference that, in the neighbourhood of Comrie, the fault hades 

 to the north-west ; ^ and the still feebler shock of Aug. 22, 1898, 

 supplies additional evidence in favour of this conclusion. 



Many persons in the Comrie district seem inclined to refer the 

 recent shocks to a desire to keep up the historic reputation of the 

 village ; and the exaggerated reports which have appeared in several 

 newspapers certainly offer some excuse for this scepticism. More- 

 over, the weather on the last occasion was warm and sultry, the 

 sound-area is very small, and it is therefore natural that many, wha 

 did not hear, or only just heard, the sound, should regard it as due 

 to a peal of distant thunder. The seismic character of the dis- 

 turbance cannot, however, be doubted after a careful study of all the 

 evidence. The shock itself was felt by several persons (by two, as 

 a A'ertical movement), the sound was evidently of underground 

 origin, and other observers who are well acquainted with the tremors 

 and earth-sounds of the district felt no hesitation in ascribing the 

 sound to that of an earthquake too slight to be felt in all parts of the 

 area affected. 



The following account is based on 14 records from 8 places, and 

 on statements that, at 12 other places, no sign of the earthquake was 

 perceived. 



Fig. 5.— Comrie Earthquake: Aug. 22, 1898. 



The earthquake occurred at about 7.15 a.m. The shock, which 

 is of intensity 3, was felt only at Clathick, by three or four 

 and possibly by one person on the adjoining estate of 

 At Clathick, three distinct movements upwards and down- 

 wards were felt, as of heavy blows struck on the ground immediately 

 beneath, lasting about 3 seconds. The sound was compared by four* 



1 Gkol. Mao., Vol. Ill, 1896, pp. 75-79. 



persons, 

 Lawers. 



