﻿330 
  T. 
  F. 
  JAMIES0N 
  ON 
  THE 
  LAST 
  STAGE 
  OE 
  

  

  western 
  glens. 
  The 
  absence 
  of 
  marine 
  fossils 
  in 
  the 
  drift 
  of 
  Elgin 
  

   and 
  Nairn 
  favours 
  the 
  supposition 
  that 
  this 
  glacier 
  may 
  have 
  existed 
  

   even 
  after 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  submergence. 
  A 
  belt 
  of 
  gravel 
  and 
  

   boulders, 
  forming 
  kaim-like 
  ridges, 
  which 
  may 
  be 
  traced 
  from 
  the 
  

   neighbourhood 
  of 
  Inverness 
  eastward 
  along 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  gneiss 
  

   hills 
  of 
  Nairn 
  and 
  Elgin 
  to 
  near 
  Speymouth, 
  may 
  perhaps 
  mark 
  the 
  

   southern 
  edge 
  of 
  this 
  great 
  glacier. 
  It 
  is 
  cut 
  through 
  and 
  partly 
  

   washed 
  away 
  by 
  the 
  rivers 
  that 
  now 
  cross 
  its 
  path 
  ; 
  but 
  although 
  

   some 
  have 
  regarded 
  it 
  as 
  an 
  old 
  sea-terrace, 
  no 
  marine 
  fossils 
  have 
  

   have 
  ever 
  been 
  found 
  in 
  it 
  to 
  substantiate 
  that 
  opinion. 
  Now 
  the 
  

   climate 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  to 
  the 
  east 
  of 
  Inverness 
  is 
  at 
  present 
  one 
  of 
  

   the 
  driest 
  in 
  Scotland, 
  the 
  yearly 
  fall 
  of 
  rain 
  at 
  Culloden 
  and 
  Nairn 
  

   being 
  only 
  24 
  inches, 
  while 
  in 
  the 
  western 
  glens 
  of 
  Ross 
  and 
  Inver- 
  

   ness 
  the 
  rainfall 
  is 
  very 
  heavy. 
  If, 
  therefore, 
  we 
  suppose 
  the 
  fall 
  of 
  

   snow 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  similarly 
  proportioned, 
  it 
  would 
  help 
  to 
  explain 
  

   how 
  it 
  came 
  to 
  pass 
  that 
  the 
  western 
  glaciers 
  were 
  so 
  large 
  as 
  to 
  

   overpower 
  and 
  press 
  aside 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  eastern 
  district. 
  The 
  trans- 
  

   port 
  of 
  boulders 
  and 
  denudation 
  of 
  the 
  surface 
  over 
  the 
  low 
  grounds 
  

   of 
  Morayshire 
  imply 
  the 
  action 
  of 
  some 
  great 
  force 
  passing 
  from 
  "W. 
  

   to 
  E., 
  such 
  as 
  would 
  arise 
  from 
  the 
  flank 
  of 
  a 
  glacier 
  moving 
  down 
  

   the 
  Moray 
  Eirth 
  as 
  I 
  have 
  supposed. 
  

  

  Consider, 
  again, 
  the 
  wonderful 
  facts 
  connected 
  with 
  the 
  glaciation 
  

   of 
  Ireland 
  made 
  known 
  lately 
  by 
  Messrs. 
  Einahan 
  and 
  Close, 
  and 
  by 
  

   Mr. 
  Campbell, 
  of 
  Islay 
  ; 
  do 
  they 
  not 
  imply 
  an 
  excessive 
  snowfall 
  

   along 
  the 
  western 
  heights 
  of 
  that 
  island, 
  and, 
  it 
  may 
  be, 
  a 
  compara- 
  

   tively 
  high 
  elevation 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  western 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  ? 
  And 
  

   the 
  dispersion 
  of 
  the 
  boulders 
  of 
  Shap 
  granite 
  from 
  Wastdale 
  Crag 
  

   in 
  the 
  north 
  of 
  England 
  would 
  admit 
  of 
  a 
  clearer 
  explanation 
  if 
  we 
  

   supposed 
  that 
  the 
  region 
  of 
  the 
  lakes, 
  now 
  so 
  noted 
  for 
  its 
  immense 
  

   rainfall, 
  was 
  formerly 
  distinguished 
  by 
  a 
  like 
  excess 
  of 
  snow. 
  

  

  I 
  incline 
  to 
  think 
  that 
  the 
  Glacial 
  period, 
  in 
  this 
  country 
  at 
  least, 
  

   was 
  distinguished 
  by 
  enormous 
  falls 
  of 
  snow 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  by 
  a 
  low 
  

   temperature. 
  If 
  we 
  might 
  suppose 
  that 
  during 
  summer 
  the 
  elephant, 
  

   rhinoceros, 
  and 
  other 
  wild 
  animals 
  browsed 
  along 
  the 
  borders 
  of 
  the 
  

   ice-covered 
  region, 
  it 
  seems 
  likely 
  that 
  they 
  would 
  be 
  sometimes 
  

   caught 
  in 
  the 
  early 
  storms 
  of 
  approaching 
  winter, 
  when 
  these 
  hap- 
  

   pened 
  sooner 
  than 
  usual, 
  and 
  thus 
  get 
  bewildered 
  and 
  smothered 
  in 
  

   the 
  heavy 
  snowdrift. 
  Their 
  short-legged 
  heavy 
  carcasses 
  would 
  ill 
  

   fit 
  them 
  for 
  wading 
  through 
  deep 
  wreaths 
  of 
  snow 
  ; 
  and 
  this 
  would 
  

   account 
  for 
  the 
  frequent 
  occurrence 
  of 
  their 
  remains 
  in 
  comparison 
  

   with 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  lighter 
  and 
  fleeter 
  animals. 
  "When 
  these 
  large 
  

   heavy 
  beasts 
  lost 
  themselves 
  amongst 
  the 
  snow 
  and 
  sunk 
  in 
  it, 
  they 
  

   would 
  be 
  covered 
  up 
  until 
  the 
  summer 
  thaw 
  came, 
  which 
  would 
  float 
  

   off 
  their 
  carcasses 
  and 
  carry 
  them 
  down 
  the 
  rivers, 
  lodging 
  them 
  in 
  

   the 
  silt 
  and 
  gravel 
  along 
  their 
  course. 
  

  

  § 
  9. 
  Conclusion. 
  

  

  This 
  last 
  phase 
  of 
  the 
  Glacial 
  period 
  was 
  therefore 
  no 
  time 
  of 
  mere 
  

   local 
  glaciers 
  lingering 
  among 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  higher 
  mountains, 
  but 
  the 
  

  

  