﻿1864.] 
  HARKNESS 
  NORTH-EAST 
  OF 
  SCOTLAND. 
  441 
  

  

  than 
  those 
  produced 
  by 
  the 
  feet 
  of 
  Reptiles. 
  They 
  are 
  marked 
  by 
  

   such 
  tracks 
  as 
  result 
  from 
  Crustaceans 
  ; 
  ripple-marks 
  also 
  are 
  very 
  

   abundant, 
  likewise 
  shrinkage- 
  cracks, 
  and 
  besides 
  these 
  the 
  im- 
  

   prints 
  of 
  rain-drops 
  are 
  common, 
  all 
  of 
  which 
  circumstances 
  indicate 
  

   the 
  litoral 
  conditions 
  which 
  prevailed 
  when 
  these 
  sandstones 
  were 
  

   being 
  deposited. 
  These 
  footprint-bearing 
  sandstones, 
  occupying 
  a 
  

   position 
  above 
  the 
  purple 
  sandstones 
  and 
  conglomerates 
  of 
  Wilk- 
  

   haven 
  and 
  Tarbetness, 
  have 
  a 
  thickness 
  of 
  about 
  400 
  feet. 
  They 
  re- 
  

   present 
  in 
  Ross- 
  shire 
  the 
  reptiliferous 
  sandstones 
  of 
  the 
  Elgin 
  area 
  ; 
  

   and 
  although 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  direct 
  proof 
  that 
  the 
  footprint-bearing 
  

   sandstones 
  of 
  Ross-shire 
  are 
  overlain 
  by 
  limestones 
  (cornstones), 
  

   as 
  in 
  the 
  Elgin 
  district, 
  fragments 
  of 
  such 
  cornstones 
  are 
  seen 
  

   on 
  the 
  shore 
  both 
  at 
  Wilkhaven 
  and 
  Portmahomack, 
  as 
  alluded 
  

   to 
  by 
  Dr. 
  Gordon 
  and 
  Mr. 
  Joass*. 
  These 
  fragments 
  of 
  corn- 
  

   stone 
  have 
  in 
  all 
  probability 
  been 
  derived 
  from 
  the 
  north-west, 
  

   the 
  direction 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  footprint-bearing 
  sandstones 
  uniformly 
  

   dip 
  in 
  the 
  Tarbetness 
  promontory 
  ; 
  and 
  this 
  circumstance 
  justifies 
  

   the 
  inference 
  that 
  in 
  the 
  Dornoch 
  Firth 
  these 
  sandstones 
  are 
  suc- 
  

   ceeded 
  by 
  cornstones, 
  as 
  at 
  Lossiemouth, 
  Cummingstone, 
  and 
  else- 
  

   where 
  in 
  the 
  district 
  around 
  Elgin. 
  South-west 
  of 
  Portmahomack 
  

   sand 
  forms 
  the 
  coast 
  until 
  Inver 
  is 
  reached 
  ; 
  and 
  here, 
  on 
  the 
  line 
  of 
  

   strike 
  of 
  the 
  Portmahomack 
  sandstones, 
  Mr. 
  Joass 
  states 
  that 
  the 
  

   same 
  arenaceous 
  strata 
  occur. 
  

  

  The 
  continuous 
  section 
  along 
  the 
  Tarbetness 
  promontory, 
  from 
  

   the 
  Metamorphic 
  rocks 
  of 
  the 
  Nigg 
  to 
  the 
  reptiliferous 
  strata 
  of 
  

   Portmahomack, 
  exposes 
  throughout 
  the 
  whole 
  line 
  of 
  coast 
  a 
  perfect 
  

   section 
  of 
  about 
  3250 
  feet 
  of 
  deposits 
  without 
  a 
  break 
  or 
  a 
  mask. 
  

   Here 
  we 
  have 
  the 
  Lower, 
  Middle, 
  and 
  Upper 
  Old 
  Red 
  Sandstones 
  

   all 
  conformable 
  to 
  each 
  other, 
  and 
  dipping 
  north-west 
  at 
  a 
  uniform 
  

   angle. 
  In 
  the 
  upper 
  portion 
  of 
  this 
  series 
  of 
  rocks 
  abundant 
  evi- 
  

   dence 
  of 
  the 
  existence 
  of 
  reptilian 
  life 
  is 
  seen 
  in 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  foot- 
  

   prints, 
  and 
  every 
  circumstance 
  that 
  we 
  find 
  in 
  connexion 
  with 
  these 
  

   sandstones 
  of 
  Ross-shire 
  and 
  Moray 
  justifies 
  the 
  inference 
  that 
  the 
  

   Reptilian 
  remains 
  of 
  the 
  North-east 
  of 
  Scotland 
  appertain 
  to 
  the 
  age 
  

   of 
  the 
  Old 
  Red 
  Sandstone. 
  

  

  My 
  practical 
  knowledge 
  of 
  the 
  rocks 
  on 
  the 
  north 
  side 
  of 
  Dornoch 
  

   Firth, 
  in 
  the 
  south-east 
  of 
  Sutherland, 
  does 
  not 
  justify 
  me 
  in 
  express- 
  

   ing 
  any 
  definite 
  conclusions 
  concerning 
  that 
  area. 
  

  

  Sir 
  R. 
  I. 
  Murchison, 
  in 
  the 
  memoir 
  previously 
  referred 
  tof, 
  ob- 
  

   serves 
  that 
  in 
  the 
  neighbourhood 
  of 
  Dornoch 
  there 
  are, 
  well 
  exposed 
  

   in 
  quarries, 
  light- 
  coloured 
  sandstones 
  with 
  occasional 
  pebble-beds, 
  

   gently 
  inclining 
  S.S.E. 
  ; 
  they 
  have 
  an 
  opposite 
  dip 
  from 
  the 
  strata 
  

   on 
  the 
  south-east 
  side 
  of 
  Dornoch 
  Firth, 
  which 
  trough 
  under 
  this 
  

   arm 
  of 
  the 
  sea, 
  and 
  form 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  series 
  exposed 
  in 
  the 
  Tarbet- 
  

   ness 
  promontory. 
  The 
  position 
  of 
  these 
  sandstones 
  on 
  the 
  north-west 
  

   side 
  of 
  the 
  Dornoch 
  Firth 
  has 
  been 
  ascertained 
  by 
  their 
  organic 
  

   remains 
  ; 
  for 
  from 
  them 
  Mr. 
  Peach 
  has 
  obtained 
  scales 
  of 
  Holo- 
  

   ptychius 
  similar 
  to 
  those 
  from 
  the 
  yellow 
  sandstones 
  of 
  the 
  Elgin 
  

   district. 
  In 
  the 
  Tarbetness 
  promontory 
  the 
  light-coloured 
  rocks 
  

  

  * 
  Quart. 
  Journ. 
  Geol. 
  Soc. 
  vol. 
  xix. 
  p. 
  509. 
  t 
  Ibid. 
  vol. 
  xv. 
  p. 
  398. 
  

  

  