﻿THE 
  GLACIAL 
  PERIOD 
  IN 
  NORTH 
  BRITAIN. 
  327 
  

  

  of 
  moraines, 
  and 
  shows 
  that 
  the 
  later 
  glaciers 
  which 
  filled 
  the 
  valley 
  

   of 
  the 
  Caledonian 
  Canal 
  and 
  the 
  neighbouring 
  glens 
  to 
  the 
  west- 
  

   ward 
  reached 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  Moray 
  Firth. 
  

  

  Many 
  of 
  the 
  moraines 
  that 
  attracted 
  the 
  attention 
  of 
  Agassiz 
  in 
  

   1840 
  were 
  at 
  low 
  levels. 
  The 
  most 
  distinct 
  and 
  well-marked 
  of 
  

   all 
  he 
  saw 
  in 
  the 
  British 
  Islands 
  were, 
  he 
  tells 
  us, 
  near 
  Florence 
  

   Court 
  (the 
  seat 
  of 
  Lord 
  Enniskillen), 
  in 
  Ireland. 
  He 
  also 
  mentions 
  

   as 
  good 
  examples 
  those 
  on 
  the 
  banks 
  of 
  Loch 
  Awe 
  and 
  Loch 
  Etive, 
  

   especially 
  near 
  Bunaw 
  Ferry 
  ; 
  all 
  these 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  formed 
  by 
  

   the 
  later 
  glaciers. 
  Buckland 
  also 
  pointed 
  out 
  a 
  number 
  in 
  Scotland 
  

   and 
  England 
  which 
  indicate 
  a 
  very 
  great 
  advance 
  of 
  the 
  ice. 
  Dr. 
  

   Hooker, 
  in 
  a 
  communication 
  to 
  the 
  ' 
  Reader,' 
  in 
  1865, 
  mentioned 
  

   that 
  in 
  the 
  upper 
  valley 
  of 
  the 
  Tees 
  there 
  are 
  huge 
  moraines, 
  as 
  

   well 
  developed 
  and 
  as 
  clearly 
  marked 
  as 
  any 
  in 
  the 
  Alps 
  or 
  Hima- 
  

   layas, 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  glacier 
  determined 
  precisely 
  the 
  present 
  course 
  of 
  

   the 
  river 
  and 
  its 
  windings. 
  I 
  am 
  therefore 
  inclined 
  to 
  believe 
  that 
  

   not 
  only 
  in 
  the 
  north 
  of 
  Scotland, 
  but 
  also 
  in 
  Ireland 
  and 
  much 
  of 
  

   England, 
  the 
  glacier, 
  and 
  not 
  the 
  sea, 
  has 
  been 
  the 
  last 
  occupant 
  of 
  

   the 
  surface, 
  and 
  that 
  many 
  of 
  its 
  peculiar 
  features, 
  such 
  as 
  the 
  

   kaims, 
  eskers, 
  gravel 
  terraces, 
  and 
  unfossiliferous 
  upper 
  drift, 
  will 
  

   have 
  to 
  be 
  referred 
  to 
  the 
  action 
  of 
  glaciers 
  and 
  freshwater 
  currents. 
  

   The 
  valley-gravel 
  is 
  well 
  explained 
  by 
  supposing 
  it 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  

   formed 
  during 
  the 
  gradual 
  and 
  final 
  retreat 
  of 
  the 
  glaciers 
  ; 
  and 
  the 
  

   remarkable 
  absence 
  of 
  the 
  bones 
  of 
  elephants 
  and 
  other 
  large 
  quad- 
  

   rupeds 
  which 
  occur 
  so 
  frequently 
  in 
  the 
  south 
  of 
  England 
  and 
  

   France 
  is 
  no 
  doubt 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  later 
  occupation 
  of 
  the 
  northern 
  

   regions 
  by 
  snow 
  and 
  ice. 
  

  

  A 
  great 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  land-locked 
  hollows 
  along 
  the 
  bottom 
  of 
  hills, 
  

   now 
  occupied 
  by 
  peat-mosses, 
  probably 
  indicate 
  the 
  position 
  of 
  the 
  

   last 
  beds 
  of 
  snow 
  and 
  ice 
  which 
  lingered 
  there 
  before 
  they 
  finally 
  

   vanished. 
  

  

  In 
  places 
  where 
  the 
  glaciers 
  did 
  not 
  reach 
  there 
  were 
  probably 
  

   heavy 
  beds 
  of 
  snow, 
  which 
  would 
  be 
  partly 
  converted 
  into 
  ice 
  at 
  the 
  

   bottom. 
  These 
  would 
  exert 
  a 
  modifying 
  influence 
  on 
  the 
  surface, 
  

   and 
  also 
  affect 
  the 
  drainage 
  of 
  the 
  localities 
  they 
  occupied. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Kinahan 
  reports 
  a 
  well-marked 
  terminal 
  moraine 
  at 
  a 
  height 
  

   of 
  only 
  140 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  present 
  sea-level, 
  near 
  Bantry 
  Bay, 
  in 
  the 
  

   extreme 
  south-west 
  of 
  Ireland 
  — 
  a 
  district 
  which 
  enjoys 
  the 
  mildest 
  

   winter 
  temperature 
  in 
  the 
  British 
  Islands. 
  This 
  moraine, 
  he 
  says, 
  

   could 
  never 
  have 
  been 
  under 
  water, 
  or 
  it 
  would 
  have 
  been 
  washed 
  

   out 
  of 
  shape 
  (Proc. 
  Geol. 
  Soc. 
  Dublin, 
  March 
  14, 
  1866). 
  Facts 
  like 
  

   these 
  have 
  not 
  been 
  sufficiently 
  weighed 
  ; 
  for 
  if 
  glaciers 
  came 
  down 
  

   to 
  within 
  140 
  feet 
  of 
  the 
  sea 
  at 
  Bantry 
  Bay, 
  what 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  

   their 
  development 
  in 
  the 
  northern 
  parts 
  of 
  Britain 
  ? 
  

  

  § 
  5. 
  Freshness 
  of 
  the 
  Glacial 
  Markings. 
  

  

  The 
  freshness 
  of 
  the 
  glacial 
  markings 
  on 
  the 
  bare 
  top 
  of 
  many 
  a 
  

   hill, 
  in 
  localities 
  which 
  betoken 
  an 
  immense 
  development 
  of 
  ice, 
  

   affords 
  another 
  argument 
  in 
  favour 
  of 
  a 
  late 
  extension 
  of 
  the 
  glaciers 
  ; 
  

  

  2 
  a2 
  

  

  