Anniversary Address. 305 



ing rock, owing to the size of its crystals, and weathers into 

 large blocks, or crumbles into a coarse gritty sand. Farther 

 up, the loose rocks have the same flesh-coloured felspar basis, 

 only the crystallization is more minute, making the texture 

 more compact, the fracture being finely granular ; the mica in 

 longish thin black crystals ; with oblong crystals of white 

 felspar ; causing the rock to be more porphyritic than grani- 

 toid. It is also weathered into large blocks, but being more 

 compact, these subdivide into thinner slices than the preced- 

 ing, and into angular fragments, which would finally become 

 clay rather than grit. All the ' Eastern Cairn ' and adja- 

 cent glitters are of this variety. A similar rock occurs in 

 situ, in the Pebble Burn. The rock of e Dunsdale Cairn ' 

 has a greyer basis. It is finely granular, compact, both the 

 felspar and quartz are grey, alternating to fleshy-coloured in 

 the former, with long crystals of felspar, and no mica ; and 

 then gradually the basis gets more fleshy- tinted, and there 

 are oblong crystals, and amorphous blotches of black mica. 

 It is prismatic and jointed in structure, and weathers into 

 large blocks ; and is an excellent example as to how those 

 rocks decay, and how those free blocks on the hill face, as 

 well as the assemblages in clusters, have primarily originated. 

 " So exhilarating was the mountain air, that in the descent 

 the glee of the party grew quite exuberant, young and old 

 going helter-skelter over the heather and rocks, quite forget- 

 ful of the somewhat painful ' excelsior ' efforts made shortly 

 before to gain this point of elevation. A glissade was also 

 attempted, but owing to the moisture on the grass, which was 

 enough to wet through the boots, was probably more cooling 

 than agreeable. This was perhaps, however, the first time 

 the alpenstock was ever brandished on Cheviot. When the 

 party were about half-way down, the sunbeams rent the 

 travelling mist asunder, and showed under its long trails a 

 wondrous prospect of the steep grey-green sides of Hedge- 

 hope, inscribed in front with inky characters from the 

 numerous open peat-rifts or ' moss-brooks ' ; while below 



