OVERLYING ROCKS OF ROSS AND INVERNESS. 149 



thousands of feet. Conglomerates are seen alternating with the 

 sandstones ; and in these are found occasionally large fragments of 

 greenish schistose rocks, very like some of the rocks found in the 

 range of mountains to the north-east, supposed hj Murchison and 

 Geikie to be newer than these groups, hut which I maintain belong 

 to a much older series. How it can possibly be supposed that 

 the rocks forming the mountain Cairn a Grubie to the N.E. of 

 Achnashellach repose upon the quartzite series of this area, I am 

 quite unable to make out. As already shown, the dip is in some 

 cases in exactly the opposite direction ; and even when it is reversed 

 to the S.E., the strike would be directly against, and not over, the 

 Torridon and Quartzite series. Altogether the evidence here is most 

 decidedly opposed to any view of an upward succession into the 

 gneissic and chloritic series. In travelling along the Loch-Carron 

 road we meet with the quartzite as far as Coolagin. In the bed of a 

 river coming down from the mountains on the N.vV., just beyond 

 this point, another clear section is exposed, and the uppermost beds 

 of the quartzite series full of so-called Annelid-tubes are found. 

 These are succeeded in the low ground towards the main river by 

 the Limestone series. The limestone here is undoubtedly, from its 

 general appearance, identical with that found in the western area 

 about Xishorn, to be described further on, and seems in many 

 respects closely allied to the Durness and Assynt limestone of the 

 north. The position of the quartz rock, with Annelid-tubes, rela- 

 tively to the limestone seems also to lend further weight to this 

 supposition. The Torridon Sandstone is met with higher up the 

 stream, and is seen there to underlie the quartzite series as in the 

 Achnashellach valley. The succession is therefore, on the whole, 

 more perfect also ; for we meet with Torridon Sandstone to the 

 N.\Y., and in descending towards the Loch-Carron valley the 

 Quartzite series resting upon it, and afterwards the Limestone 

 series in its proper position. These are thrown down together at a 

 high angle towards the main fault in the Loch-Carron valley, and 

 evidently immediately against the true gneiss rocks of the Ben- 

 Fyn type which are found in the rising ground on the east side of 

 the valley. The section, fig. 2, is intended to explain the succes- 

 sion along this line as far as the fault, and it is then carried across 

 the mountains immediately to the west of Strathcarron Station, 

 which consist entirely of rocks of the Ben-IYn type, such as are 

 described in the notes (jNos. 23-27) by Mr. Davies to a former 

 paper *, and of some allied rocks described by Prof. Bonney in the 

 notes 18-21 in the Appendix to this paper, to be referred to further 

 on in the description of the section in the Attadale valley. 



6. Loch KisTiom to Loch Carron. 



In the area between these two lochs I examined several very 

 interesting and important sections in connexion with some of the 

 questions considered in this paper. I also ascended the highest 

 * Geol. Mag. dec. 2, vol. vii. 1880. 



M 2' 



