4 NATURAL APPEARANCES 



the fouthmoft hill through a hollow, and afcending obliquely 

 the moulder of the fummit of Arthur's Seat on the fouth-eafl 

 fide. 



At firft thunder fuggefted itfelf as having been the caufe of 

 this remarkable appearance ; but the more we enquired into 

 the particulars of this phenomenon, the greater difficulties oc- 

 curred with regard to the proper correfpondence of that con- 

 jectured caufe, as well as for aligning any other with the leaft 

 degree of probability. It is with a view to make this appear, 

 that the following hiflory is made of the particulars which were 

 at that time, and have been fince obferved. 



Observation i. The appearance now defcribed was not 

 the only one of the kind ; for, upon examination, I found fimi- 

 lar tracks, though of various extent, in all the different afpects 

 and fituations, from the fouth fide of the fummit to the north 

 fide of the hill half way down to the plain ; but none at the 

 bottom. 



Obs. 2. These appearances, though recent, or of that year's 

 production, had not been the firft thing of that kind which had 

 appeared on the hill ; for, parallel to each of thofe tracks of 

 withered grafs, there was another perfectly fimilar, which then 

 appeared to us as if it had been made the year before, and was 

 then black, the grafs having rotted. The diflance of this old 

 track from the new, was, in general, only a few inches, fometimes 

 exceeding near, but rarely or never contiguous. 



Obs. 3. The tracks, now under confideration, have been 

 confidered as a thing continuous in its length ; but this it is 

 only in general, or in certain portions where it is fo fometimes 

 for a confiderable extent. In other places, again, it is compofed 

 of feveral portions of various lengths, the grafs being unaffect- 

 ed betwixt thofe portions which make up the track ; fo that, in 

 fome places, the track is made as it were by fpots ; and thefe 

 fpots, although in general longer in the direction of the track, 

 are not always fo, there being in fome places, generally at the 



extremity 



