396 MAJOR A. E. DWEEBTHOUSE OX THE [vol. Ixxix, 



Butterluinp, rests upon Triassic sandstone on the shore of 

 Strangford Lough, about 4 miles south-east of Newtownards. 



The peninsula was overridden by the Scottish ice, but does not 

 appear to have been affected by the later glaciation from the vest, 



Strangford Lough occupies a position between the Ards Penin- 

 sula and the mainland of Count} 7 Down, and lies in a very ancient 

 valley which is. to some extent, filled by Trias ; it appears, in part 

 at least, to have been in existence since Carboniferous times. 



At Castle Espie, about 3 miles south-east of Comber, there is 

 a small outcrop of Carboniferous Limestone, and the ancient valley 

 is otherwise Trias-filled. 



The Triassic outcrop runs through from the Belfast valley by 

 way of Dundonald and Scrabo Hill across the head of Strangford 

 Lough to Grey Abbey, and probably it formerly extended down 

 the Lough, but was removed by glacial erosion. 



The Lough is for the greater part very shallow, only reaching 

 depths of more than 100 feet in a few small closed areas, and the 

 whole of its surface is broken by shallows and islands which are 

 undoubtedly the tops of submerged (or partly submerged) druni- 

 lins, similar to those that characterize the surrounding country. 



The striae at Newtown Ards, Scrabo Hill, Ballygowan, Wood 

 Island, near Ardmillan, and farther south on Slievenagriddle, near 

 Kilcleaf , Killard Point, Bonfire Hill, and Gunns Island all point to 

 a movement of ice down the Lough. This is confirmed by the 

 transport of boulders of the peculiar red limestone of Castle Esjrie, 

 which are to be found in quantity on the islands, in the country 

 between Strangford and Downpatrick, and as far south as Kil- 

 lough. 



The boulders and pebbles of Castle Espie limestone are 

 accompanied by masses of the dolerite which forms the capping 

 of Scrabo Hill. Some of these are of great size ; for example, 

 ' Sampson's Stone,' which lies south-east of Downpatrick, and is 

 about 14 feet long ; the ' Grey Rock,' at Scaddin near the mouth 

 of the Quoyle River, which is slightly larger ; and the ' Grey Stone,' 

 north of Kearneys Town, which measui'es 18 x 13 x 8 feet ( + ), 

 part of it being below ground. 



The area of the Ards Peninsula and Strangford Lough was 

 covered throughout the Glacial Period by the Scottish ice, which 

 moved over it from north to south, influenced little (if at all) by 

 the pressure of the western ice. 



The evidence of severe glacial erosion is to be found on all sides, 

 and I look upon the Lough as the effect of that erosion on the 

 soft Triassic rocks of the ancient valley. 



(c) The Main Mass of the Silurian Uplands. 



On entering any part of this district one is immediately struck 

 by the extraordinarily hummocky character of the surface : drum- 

 lins and roches rnoutonnees follow one another in almost 

 endless succession, giving the ' basket of eggs : appearance which 



