1850.] HARKNESS NEW RED SANDSTONE, DUMFRIESSHIRE. 391 



at its southern extremity, and near the village of that name. Here 

 it consists of beds of solid rock, each bed being composed of laminae 

 of different degrees of fineness. The fine laminse are regular, and 

 seldom exceed a quarter of an inch in thickness ; the coarse ones vary 

 from one-third of an inch to an inch, and are very irregular in thick- 

 ness. The beds separate along the faces of these laminae, and often 

 where the faces of the coarser laminse have been exposed the grain is 

 of a rough nature, which makes the rock appear coarser than it really 

 is. The varying thickness of these laminse also sometimes causes the 

 faces to have a torn and rough aspect owing to their passing into 

 each other. Each of the strata composing the quarry is of con- 

 siderable thickness, in some cases approaching nearly six feet. The 

 whole of the rock is false-bedded, and more irregular than any other 

 quarry in the district. The false-bedding extends even to the laminse 

 which compose the strata, some of these having not only different, 

 but even opposite directions. On the whole the inclination appears 

 to be towards the south-west at a small angle. On the north-west 

 corner of the quarry some higher beds, flaggy, more regular in dip, 

 but of small extent, are to be seen. The whole quarry abounds 

 in faults, to which the irregularity of the dip is in a great measure 

 to be ascribed. 



About half a mile to the north is another quarry, at a place called 

 Green Mill. Here the dip is very regular, being at an angle of about 

 32° W.S.W. The upper part of this quarry consists of beds of thin 

 flags little more than an inch in thickness ; these, however, become 

 thicker below, and consist of layers of dark and light red sandstone, 

 separated from each other by lines of brown oxide of iron. Beneath 

 these flags the rock becomes more solid. The faces of the flags have 

 a regular smooth surface and a purple burnished colour. The joints 

 in this quarry are very regular, running almost north and south, and in 

 some cases they have their faces covered with red clay. On the fine 

 faces of the flags footsteps occur, similar to those which are met with 

 in the new red sandstone of Corncockle Muir, but of smaller size. 



After leaving the parish of Caerlaverock and entering that of 

 Dumfries, we again meet with the sandstone at the Craigs quarry, 

 about a mile and a half south-west from the town of Dumfries. 

 On the flaggy beds composing the lowest portion of this quarry foot- 

 steps of animals are met with. 



At Locherbrigs, near the northern termination of the parish of 

 Dumfries, there are four quarries. The higher beds in the most 

 northerly of these consist of flags parted by bands of black oxide of 

 manganese. The thickness of the strata forming this flaggy deposit 

 varies from three to five feet. In some cases the surface of the flags 

 is rippled, the black oxide of manganese rendering this form of sur- 

 face very distinct. There is a good deal of false-bedding in this 

 deposit, and the dip varies considerably, but on an average the flags 

 incline at an angle of about 22° W.S.W. Below these flags a rock 

 of a fine and uniform texture occurs, having the faces of the strata 

 polished and burnished, and of a purple colour. The thickness of 



