﻿544 
  PROF. 
  C. 
  LAPWORTH 
  ON 
  THE 
  GIRVAN 
  SUCCESSION. 
  

  

  partially 
  faulted 
  inlier 
  of 
  about 
  six 
  miles 
  in 
  length, 
  by 
  one 
  and 
  a 
  , 
  

   half 
  in 
  breadth, 
  bounded 
  on 
  all 
  sides 
  by 
  Old 
  Eed 
  and 
  Carboniferous 
  

   strata. 
  The 
  Straiton 
  area 
  is 
  a 
  faulted 
  strip 
  of 
  Silurian 
  rocks 
  five 
  

   and 
  a 
  half 
  miles 
  in 
  length, 
  by 
  half 
  a 
  mile 
  in 
  breadth, 
  lying 
  several 
  

   miles 
  to 
  the 
  east 
  of 
  the 
  main 
  district, 
  and 
  forming 
  the 
  northern 
  

   edge 
  of 
  the 
  Old 
  Eed 
  Sandstone 
  terrace 
  of 
  Garleffin. 
  

  

  The 
  southern 
  boundary 
  of 
  the 
  principal 
  Lower 
  Palaeozoic 
  area, 
  or 
  

   main 
  Girvan 
  plateau, 
  is 
  formed 
  by 
  the 
  deep 
  and 
  narrow 
  valley 
  of 
  the 
  

   river 
  Stinchar. 
  Throughout 
  the 
  whole 
  of 
  its 
  course 
  in 
  this 
  region, 
  from 
  

   Barr 
  to 
  Ballantrae, 
  the 
  greatest 
  width 
  attained 
  by 
  this 
  depression 
  is 
  

   about 
  half 
  a 
  mile. 
  • 
  To 
  the 
  south 
  of 
  this 
  valley, 
  the 
  hills 
  of 
  the 
  

   Southern 
  Uplands 
  are 
  seen 
  sweeping 
  upwards 
  in 
  rounded 
  grass-clad 
  

   forms 
  into 
  the 
  barren 
  moorland 
  area 
  of 
  Beneraird 
  and 
  the 
  Merrick. 
  

   To 
  the 
  north, 
  the 
  valley-slopes 
  are 
  steep 
  and 
  frequently 
  abrupt, 
  a 
  range 
  

   of 
  picturesque 
  heights, 
  some 
  1500 
  or 
  1-600 
  feet 
  in 
  elevation, 
  over- 
  

   hanging 
  the 
  valley 
  from 
  Barr 
  to 
  Pin 
  wherry. 
  The 
  numerous 
  wind- 
  

   ings 
  of 
  the 
  stream 
  below 
  enclose 
  patches 
  of 
  fertile 
  alluvial 
  flats, 
  or 
  

   haughlands, 
  which 
  have 
  long 
  been 
  under 
  cultivation. 
  A 
  few 
  wood- 
  

   lands 
  and 
  thickets 
  margin 
  the 
  river, 
  and 
  creep 
  partly 
  up 
  the 
  hill-sides, 
  

   while 
  farmsteads 
  and 
  cottages 
  are 
  more 
  than 
  ordinarily 
  numerous; 
  

   but 
  the 
  valley 
  in 
  its 
  general 
  aspect 
  is 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  peaceful 
  pastoral 
  

   character 
  as 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  Southern 
  Uplands. 
  

  

  The 
  valley 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  Girvan, 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  which 
  bounds 
  

   this 
  main 
  plateau 
  on 
  the 
  north, 
  is 
  altogether 
  much 
  wider, 
  and 
  is 
  

   wholly 
  different 
  in 
  its 
  physiographical 
  aspect 
  from 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  Stinchar. 
  

   Along 
  its 
  southern 
  margin 
  the 
  grassy 
  steeps 
  of 
  the 
  Hadyard, 
  Saugh, 
  

   and 
  Straiton 
  Hills 
  plunge 
  suddenly 
  downwards 
  from 
  a 
  height 
  of 
  

   several 
  hundreds 
  of 
  feet, 
  in 
  a 
  long 
  straight 
  line 
  10 
  or 
  12 
  miles 
  in 
  

   length 
  running 
  from 
  Girvan 
  to 
  Straiton. 
  Northward 
  the 
  depression 
  

   is 
  bounded 
  by 
  the 
  wooded 
  slopes 
  of 
  the 
  inlier 
  of 
  Craighead 
  and 
  

   Mulloch. 
  Between 
  these 
  limits 
  the 
  level 
  valley 
  has 
  a 
  breadth 
  

   of 
  from 
  four 
  to 
  six 
  miles, 
  and 
  stretches 
  eastward 
  into 
  the 
  interior 
  as 
  

   far 
  as 
  the 
  eye 
  can 
  reach. 
  Innumerable 
  woodlands 
  and 
  numerous 
  

   parks 
  and 
  mansions 
  diversify 
  its 
  surface 
  ; 
  and 
  the 
  frequent 
  villages, 
  

   hamlets, 
  and 
  farmsteads 
  testify 
  to 
  the 
  industry 
  and 
  wealth 
  of 
  its 
  

   inhabitants. 
  

  

  At 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  river-valley 
  itself 
  lies 
  the 
  little 
  sea-port 
  town 
  

   of 
  Girvan, 
  which 
  gives 
  its 
  name 
  to 
  the 
  entire 
  district. 
  Its 
  inhabi- 
  

   tants 
  are 
  largely 
  of 
  Irish 
  extraction, 
  and 
  are 
  employed 
  in 
  fishing 
  

   and 
  agriculture. 
  

  

  The 
  few 
  streams 
  that 
  drain 
  the 
  Girvan 
  plateau 
  conveniently 
  

   divide 
  it 
  into 
  several 
  well-marked 
  subareas, 
  individualized 
  by 
  cer- 
  

   tain 
  local 
  peculiarities 
  of 
  scenery 
  or 
  rock 
  -structure. 
  The 
  shallow 
  

   upland 
  valley 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  of 
  Assel 
  (Plate 
  XXIV.) 
  effectually 
  isolates 
  

   the 
  mound-like 
  area 
  of 
  Benan 
  and 
  Auchensoul. 
  The 
  rapid 
  stream 
  

   of 
  Penwhapple 
  has 
  excavated 
  a 
  gorge, 
  three 
  miles 
  in 
  length 
  and 
  

   nearly 
  a 
  hundred 
  feet 
  in 
  depth, 
  across 
  the 
  very 
  centre 
  of 
  the 
  northern 
  

   section 
  of 
  the 
  plateau, 
  sharply 
  separating 
  it 
  into 
  the 
  two 
  subdistricts 
  

   of 
  Saugh 
  Hill 
  and 
  Knock-gar 
  ran. 
  A 
  fourth 
  or 
  coast-area 
  is 
  formed 
  

   by 
  the 
  raised 
  beach 
  of 
  ShallocJi 
  and 
  Ardmillan, 
  to 
  the 
  south 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  