1866.] JAMIESON CAITHNESS. 271 



indications of tranquillity that we observe in the regions further to 

 the south. 



4th. In the deficiency of valley-gravel, and the absence of mo- 

 raines and gravel-hillocks. 



It is very desirable to ascertain the area over which these features 

 prevail. Erom what Mr. Peach says of Shetland, I am inclined to 

 think it will embrace both these islands and the Orkneys. I did 

 not examine the north coast of Sutherlandshire, and cannot say how 

 far in that direction the same characters extend; but in passing 

 rapidly along the east coast of Sutherland and Eoss it seemed to me 

 that there was a change after going south of the Ord of Caithness, 

 the shelly drift vanishing, while great moraine-like heaps of gravel 

 make their appearance at the mouths of the several valleys. At 

 Brora, for example, there is a remarkable assemblage of hillocks 

 which come down close upon the shore, and at Dornoch Frith I 

 noticed similar deposits on the north side near Clashmore, and on 

 the south side along the base of Struie hill. At Muir of Ord, between 

 Beauly and Dingwall, I examined another fine range of gravel-hil- 

 locks, extending from the neighbourhood of the railway- station 

 westward up the flank of the hiU to a considerable height. But the 

 finest of all is a most remarkable series of ridges commencing at a place 

 called Kildrummy, about two miles from Nairn, and ranging south- 

 westward by the Loch of the Clans and Loch Elemington towards 

 CuUoden moor, in the neighbourhood of Inverness. 



The direction of the glacial scoring in Caithness, if produced south- 

 eastward, would pass the corner of Aberdeenshire near Praserburg-h ; 

 and here I may mention that I have recently observed traces of gla- 

 cial action at a few places in the neighbourhood of that town, and 

 it is interesting to remark that their direction corresponds with that 

 in Caithness, being N.W. and S.E., and produced by an agency which 

 seems to have come from the north-west. Thus : — 



On a rock surface newly exposed in a railway-cutting near 



Rathen N. 65° W. 



At another spot in the same cutting N. 45° W. 



At Fraserburgh quai^ry N. 40° to 65° W. 



On the coast at St. Colms, about five miles south-east of Fraser- 

 burgh, there are some rocks which have a strong appearance 

 of glaciation and a north-west Stosseife, while long fluted 



hollows point N. 65° W.^ 



but there are no trustworthy scratches. 



The rocks also on the south side of Fraserburgh harbour have 

 an appearance of glaciation coming from the north-west or 

 west-north-west, and beside the turntable at the railway- 

 station there are some scratches on the rock in varying 

 directions. 



Again, it is worthy of remark that along the coast from Banff to 

 Peterhead, the prevailing colour of the glacial clay is dark bluish- 

 grey, quite like that of Caithness. This, however, may be owing to 

 the sediment from the clay-slate of Banfi'shire having drifted east- 

 ward ; but it may also be partly due to a drift of &ne muddy matter 

 from Caithness. The dark bluish-grey clay ranges south to Peter- 

 head, where it thins out and is interstratified with the red clay 



