A RAMBLE UP BURNHOPE. I03 



came to plenty of signs of former energy. A farm, called 

 Holm House, appeared on a small patch of alluvium on the 

 left bank, and opposite it, and above it, the rocks were show- 

 ing in a very disturbed state, both in the stream and on the 

 bank. Below the bridge, where the rocks had last showed 

 themselves, they had been dipping very gently towards the 

 east, at an angle of about six or seven degrees — less than the 

 dip of the stream, which was running into the lower strata as 

 it descended. In ascending the burn, as I had been doing, I 

 had been gradually passing upwards from the Six-fathom 

 Sandstone to the Three-yard Limestone, and into the over- 

 lying shales and sandstones, and, barring faults, I might have 

 expected soon to have seen the Four-fathom Limestone putting 

 in an appearance on the stream. I saw from the map that I 

 was nearing the 1,250-feet contour line, along which here the 

 Four-fathom Lime seemed pretty nearly to run. But I also 

 saw that no Four-fathom Lime would be met with in the 

 stream until I had climbed nearly to the burn's source, and 

 reached an altitude of about 1,800 feet. Evidently I was close 

 to a great fault, and doubtless the disturbance in the rocks 

 ahead was due to this great upheaval, or depression — which, I 

 could not say. And certainly there was no lack of signs of 

 disturbance. Soon I was busy with clinometer, compass, and 

 notebook. A sandstone on the left dipped at a considerable 

 angle, about 43 degrees, to the north-east. A limestone in 

 the bed of the stream was lying at all angles, and crossed in 

 all directions by veins of calcareous spar. At one point it 

 dipped 40 degrees N.E., a few yards west it was 82 degrees, 

 a few feet further it was perpendicular ; not far off, on the left 

 bank, it seemed to be completely inverted, and to be dipping 

 at about 55 degrees to the west, but only on very short 

 exposed portions. Not only that, but it seemed to be twisted 

 horizontally, for I noticed at one place that the bearing of the 

 strata, that is, the line at right angles to the plane of the dip, 

 was bent round from N.N.W. to N.N.E. Continuing up the 

 stream the strata seemed gradually to resume their normal dip. 

 At a little foot-bridge, below a house called Springwells, the 



