﻿328 
  T. 
  F. 
  JAMIES0N 
  ON 
  THE 
  LAST 
  STAGE 
  OF 
  

  

  for 
  we 
  can 
  scarcely 
  suppose 
  that 
  these 
  markings 
  would 
  have 
  stood 
  

   the 
  action 
  of 
  the 
  weather 
  so 
  long 
  as 
  they 
  must 
  have 
  done 
  had 
  they 
  

   heen 
  imprinted 
  in 
  the 
  period 
  before 
  the 
  submergence. 
  The 
  length 
  

   of 
  time 
  that 
  has 
  elapsed 
  since 
  then 
  must 
  be 
  enormous 
  ; 
  and 
  yet 
  on 
  

   some 
  hills 
  of 
  2000 
  feet, 
  the 
  summits 
  still 
  exhibit 
  the 
  ice-worn 
  sur- 
  

   faces 
  left 
  by 
  the 
  glaciers 
  which 
  overflowed 
  them 
  from 
  the 
  central 
  

   heights. 
  As 
  no 
  covering 
  of 
  earth 
  or 
  turf 
  seems 
  ever 
  to 
  have 
  pro- 
  

   tected 
  them 
  from 
  the 
  weather, 
  it 
  is 
  difficult 
  to 
  conceive 
  how 
  they 
  

   could 
  have 
  escaped 
  destruction 
  so 
  long 
  had 
  they 
  existed 
  before 
  the 
  

   time 
  of 
  the 
  submergence. 
  

  

  § 
  6. 
  Kaims, 
  Eskers, 
  Sfc. 
  

  

  Many 
  of 
  the 
  narrow, 
  steep-sided, 
  curving 
  ridges 
  of 
  gravel, 
  known 
  

   in 
  Scotland 
  by 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  Kaims*, 
  and 
  in 
  Ireland 
  as 
  Eskers, 
  I 
  

   believe 
  to 
  be 
  deposits 
  formed 
  along 
  the 
  margin 
  of 
  the 
  later 
  glaciers. 
  

   The 
  fact 
  of 
  these 
  gravel-ridges 
  being 
  composed 
  of 
  water-worn 
  mate- 
  

   rials, 
  often 
  stratified, 
  although 
  generally 
  in 
  confused, 
  irregular 
  beds, 
  

   has 
  induced 
  most 
  people 
  to 
  think 
  that 
  glaciers 
  could 
  have 
  nothing 
  to 
  

   do 
  with 
  them 
  ; 
  and 
  British 
  geologists 
  generally 
  refer 
  them 
  to 
  the 
  

   agency 
  of 
  marine 
  currents. 
  But 
  in 
  an 
  ice-covered 
  country 
  where 
  

   precipices 
  and 
  high 
  rocky 
  escarpments 
  seldom 
  occur, 
  and 
  where 
  the 
  

   hills 
  are 
  comparatively 
  low 
  with 
  gentle 
  slopes, 
  the 
  deposits 
  formed 
  

   along 
  the 
  margin 
  of 
  glaciers 
  will 
  often 
  be 
  of 
  a 
  gravelly 
  nature, 
  

   abounding 
  in 
  beds 
  of 
  sand 
  and 
  rolled 
  pebbles 
  having 
  a 
  sort 
  of 
  stra- 
  

   tified 
  arrangement. 
  Such 
  is 
  the 
  case 
  in 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  old 
  moraines 
  

   of 
  the 
  Vosges. 
  A 
  great 
  deal 
  of 
  water 
  escapes 
  from 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  gla- 
  

   ciers 
  and 
  pours 
  off 
  their 
  surface 
  during 
  certain 
  seasons; 
  and 
  a 
  

   glacier 
  many 
  miles 
  in 
  length, 
  when 
  the 
  snows 
  are 
  melting, 
  will 
  

   abound 
  in 
  streams 
  of 
  running 
  water, 
  which 
  will 
  carry 
  along 
  much 
  

   gravel 
  and 
  fine 
  sand 
  and 
  produce 
  deposits 
  of 
  irregularly 
  stratified 
  

   stuff 
  along 
  the 
  sides 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  glacier. 
  

  

  In 
  order 
  to 
  have 
  moraines 
  of 
  rough 
  rocky 
  debris 
  abounding 
  in 
  

   great 
  angular 
  blocks 
  such 
  as 
  occur 
  in 
  alpine 
  districts, 
  there 
  must 
  

   be 
  the 
  necessary 
  conditions, 
  viz. 
  alpine 
  heights 
  and 
  rocky 
  cliffs 
  bor- 
  

   dering 
  the 
  glacier. 
  Where 
  these 
  occur 
  in 
  Scotland 
  moraines 
  are 
  

   found 
  of 
  the 
  usual 
  alpine 
  character 
  ; 
  but 
  in 
  a 
  region 
  of 
  low 
  undula- 
  

   ting 
  hills 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  vain 
  to 
  look 
  for 
  such. 
  I 
  have 
  no 
  doubt 
  the 
  

   same 
  explanation 
  will 
  apply 
  to 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  Irish 
  eskers. 
  Assuming 
  

   masses 
  of 
  glacier 
  ice 
  to 
  have 
  covered 
  the 
  mountains 
  of 
  Ireland 
  and 
  

   also 
  to 
  have 
  occupied 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  central 
  plain 
  of 
  that 
  country, 
  what 
  

   kind 
  of 
  deposits 
  might 
  be 
  expected 
  to 
  form 
  along 
  their 
  margin, 
  as 
  

   they 
  gradually 
  melted 
  away 
  ? 
  Something 
  very 
  different 
  no 
  doubt 
  

   from 
  the 
  usual 
  character 
  of 
  alpine 
  moraines. 
  At 
  certain 
  seasons 
  

   there 
  would 
  be 
  great 
  streams 
  of 
  water 
  running 
  along 
  the 
  margin 
  of 
  

  

  * 
  The 
  word 
  Kaim 
  is 
  in 
  Scotland 
  generally 
  applied 
  to 
  a 
  narrow 
  steep-sided 
  

   mound. 
  Some 
  derive 
  the 
  term 
  from 
  the 
  fancied 
  resemblance 
  to 
  a 
  cock's 
  comb 
  ; 
  

   others 
  suppose 
  it 
  to 
  come 
  from 
  the 
  Gaelic 
  word 
  cam, 
  crooked, 
  being 
  often 
  applied 
  

   to 
  a 
  crooked 
  or 
  curving 
  hill 
  (see 
  Dr. 
  Jamieson's 
  ' 
  Scottish 
  Dictionary 
  '). 
  Mr. 
  

   Campbell, 
  of 
  Islay, 
  deriveB 
  it 
  from 
  Ceum, 
  a 
  path. 
  

  

  