1862.] POWRIE OLD RED SANDSTONE. 431 



glomerate is first found at the village of Ferry Port on Craig (now 

 Tay Port), on to Kinross, where the red sandstones are displayed (a 

 distance of over thirty miles), similar formations are found, such as 

 the yellow sandstones of Cupar Muir, the red and yellow sandstones 

 in the Edinburgh Eailway-cuttings, &c., and in every instance, unless 

 when evidently distorted by the trap-rocks so common aU over Fife, 

 having similar dips and lying at similar angles. It thus seems very 

 evident that the upper members of the Old Red Sandstone series are, 

 in Fifeshii-e, found conformably reposing the one upon the other, 

 and are also conformably overlaid by the Coal-formations. 



The connexion of these Upper Old Red Sandstone rocks with the 

 Lower, the equivalents of the Forfarshire flagstones, is much more 

 obscure. Wot only is no continuous section of these exhibited in Fife, 

 but, as is the case to the south of the trap-rocks of the Ochills, in 

 that county, it is only the upper members of the series that are found. 

 In like manner it seems to me, that the detached patches of sand- 

 stones found along the north flanks of these hills, and in the Fife 

 banks of the Tay, belong altogether to the lower division, although 

 it must be confessed that only one locality (Park-hill) afPords un- 

 deniable evidence of the age of any of these patches. 



In Dr. Anderson's ' Monograph of Dura Den,' it is stated that 

 " they (the upper rocks) are always unconformable to the grey sand- 

 stones, when seen in conjunction, as in Rossie Den, Balruddery, 

 Park-hill, and Wormit Bay." I much regret that I cannot confirm 

 the Doctor's observations, as, had they been correct, they would have 

 set the matter at rest. Rossie Den and Balruddery are both in Perth- 

 shire. I may, however, remark that nowhere in Balruddery Den 

 are the Upper Old Red Sandstones found. Rossie Den I have never 

 carefully examined. Park-hill is the only locality in Fifeshire 

 where I have yet found positive proof of the existence of the lower 

 beds. That they are there developed is clearly shown by the remains 

 oiPterygotus, and that very characteristic although obscure organism, 

 the Parha decijyiens, so named from this locality. The dip here is a 

 little to the east of south, and at an angle of about 12°. A concre- 

 tionary limestone having a similar dip and inclination, and agreeing 

 in character with the concretionary limestones of Forfarshire, is also 

 here found. I believe that in this same locality, but to the north-east, a 

 red-sandstone quarry formerly existed, in which Holoj)tychius -scales 

 are said to have been found ; it is now quite obliterated, its site being 

 converted into arable land. I could never ascertain the inclination 

 of these sandstones ; they must, however, have formed a continuation 

 of the red Holoptychian sandstones of the Carse of Gowrie, as, were 

 they in connexion with the Park-hill flagstones, they must have 

 underlain them, being considerably to the north-east of the Park- 

 hill quarry, while the beds there dip towards the south and east. 

 Along the Fifeshire banks of the Tay, the character of the rocks is 

 for the most part plutonic ; several patches of sandstones, however, 

 are found, but, so far as I am aware, in only one place (Wormit Bay) 

 in sufiicient quantity to afford satisfactory evidence of their character 

 and dip. In Wormit Bay they are of a greyish-brown colour, rather 



