1863.] GORDON AND JOASS TARBATNESS. 507 



Geological Society of London/ 2nd ser. vol. iii. part i. p. 150, 1828, 

 I find it stated, on the authority of Sir R. I. Murchison and Prof. 

 Sedgwick, that " Under Geanies' Mill are seen some grey, brownish- 

 grey, and greenish-grey calciferous sandstones, alternating with some 

 bituminous, laminated, calcareous beds, on one of which were some 

 Fish-scales, and some fragments " (since found to be plates of the 

 Coccosteus) ; that " between Geanies' Mill and Balloan Castle the 

 phenomena are of less interest, the beds in the ascending order pre- 

 serving nearly the same characters ;" and that " from Balloan Castle 

 to the extreme point of Tarbatness no subordinate calcareous beds 

 like those above described" had been observed, " although some of 

 the greenish-grey sandstones were calciferous." 



To the above I have nothing to add by way of general description, 

 as its accuracy has been but confirmed by subsequent investigation ; 

 but I hope that the following detailed remarks may be of interest in 

 connexion with the recent discovery, by the Bev. Mr. Campbell, of 

 Tarbat, and myself, of undoubted Reptilian footprints, and probable 

 Crustacean tracks, in the sandstones of Portmahomack (Tarbat). 



In the cliff at the western boundary of Geanies (fig. 1, A), 

 superior to a well-defined ferruginous bed of red sandstone, there 

 occur several bands of calcareous shale, with subordinate belts of 

 grey and brownish sandstone, dipping nearly N.W., as indicated by 

 the arrows on the map. 



Throughout these beds fossil remains of Devonian age occur in 

 abundance, such as Fucoids, Fish-scales, and Coprolites, especially at 

 the undernoted localities and among the debris at the foot of the cliff. 



The uppermost of these fossiliferous shale-beds dips under the 

 Drift at the top of the. Strone-a-chapull road, at the site of the old 

 Mill of Tarrel, near D (fig. 1), but is continued on the beach at F. 

 At this point undoubted Old Bed Fishes have been found, while a 

 nearly entire specimen of Coccosteus has been left in situ, at the 

 point marked a on the Map (fig. 1). 



By the kindness of Mr. Murray of Geanies, who placed some men 

 at my disposal, a collection of fossils has been made from the debris 

 of the cliff at A, from the shale-beds in situ at B and D, and from 

 the beach-rocks at C, E, and F. Some of these fossiliferous rocks, 

 as seen on the shore, although dipping in an opposite direction to 

 the cliff-beds, are yet believed to be undermined and fallen masses, 

 from their identity of lithological structure with the calcareous beds 

 in the cliff at the base of which they lie. The above collection, now 

 at Geanies' House, for the inspection of all interested in the matter, 

 will, it is believed, be sufficient authority for regarding this portion 

 of the section as of undoubted Devonian age, and therefore a 

 proper starting-point for an upward examination of the beds with 

 a view to establishing their conformable stratigraphical sequence 

 onwards to the Ichnites of Camus Shandwick and Portmahomack. 



From F eastwards, to G, the cliff presents a good section of con- 

 formably bedded, reddish, yellow, and particoloured sandstones ; and 

 where the reading of this is partially interfered with by drift, the 

 beach-rocks, in normal dip, carry us easily onward to the village of 



2 m 2 



