of the North of Ireland. 1 65 



liar joints of the pentacrinus ; this formation may be studied most 

 advantageously along the line of coast between Gerron point and 

 Lough Larne, on the east side of Antrim, where several sections of 

 it are exhibited. On the south of Gerron point the extensive bay of 

 Glenarm opens; the village of Glenarm itself is situated near the 

 south cape of the bay, between two lofty hills of chalk covered with 

 basalt ; the range with which these are connected sweeps in a bold 

 semicircle round the bay, receding considerably from the line of coast 

 which generally presents only a fiat beach ; towards the centre of 

 the bay, however, a low crag of red sandstone occurs, distin- 

 guished by the name of the red braes of Carnallock ; half way 

 between these and Glenarm, the clay of the lias formation may be 

 traced, interposed between the red sand and the green sand 

 which underlies the chalk. 



But this formation is far better displayed after doubling the Cape 

 of Glenarm in the cliffs beneath the deer park, about two miles south- 

 east from that village; here it emerges from under the chalk and 

 green sand, and exhibits a thickness exceeding 100 feet. Near the 

 outlet of Lough Lame lias has been traced in Port Muck, at the 

 north-east extremity of the island of Magee, and borings, engaged in 

 from the hopeless speculation of discovering coal, have proved its ex- 

 istence among the substrata in other parts of that island, where it rests 

 on red marie containing gypsum. On the western shore of Lough 

 Larne, lias occurs about one mile south from the town whence the 

 lough derives its name ; it skirts the margin of the lough for some 

 distance towards the south, but does not appear to rise many feet 

 above high water mark. Only one thin stratum of the limestone is 

 here visible ; this contains gryphites and pentacrinites. 



We understood that lias had been traced in several places be- 

 tween Larne and Belfast. In Colin Glen, about four miles soutk- 



