﻿OF 
  THE 
  EILDON 
  HILLS, 
  IN 
  ROXBURGHSHIRE. 
  213 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  little 
  basin 
  to 
  the 
  south 
  of 
  Melrose, 
  which 
  has 
  been 
  so 
  far 
  described, 
  

   we 
  farther 
  find 
  a 
  local 
  and 
  nearly 
  concealed 
  deposit 
  of 
  the 
  red 
  or 
  Dryburgh 
  sand- 
  

   stone, 
  which 
  possesses 
  considerable 
  interest. 
  It 
  lies 
  between 
  the 
  back 
  of 
  the 
  

   " 
  Quarry 
  Hill," 
  which 
  is 
  a 
  remarkable 
  eminence 
  of 
  trap 
  tufa 
  close 
  to 
  the 
  railway 
  

   station 
  at 
  Melrose, 
  and 
  the 
  strata 
  of 
  grey 
  wacke 
  which 
  we 
  have 
  seen 
  to 
  skirt 
  con- 
  

   tinuously 
  the 
  north-west 
  slopes 
  of 
  the 
  Eildons. 
  This 
  curious 
  deposit 
  may 
  be 
  easily 
  

   detected 
  in 
  the 
  wood 
  inclosing 
  a 
  very 
  small 
  ravine 
  with 
  the 
  local 
  name 
  of 
  " 
  the 
  

   Duke's 
  Glen," 
  and 
  whose 
  position 
  will 
  be 
  best 
  indicated 
  by 
  the 
  numbers 
  28 
  and 
  29 
  

   on 
  the 
  map. 
  It 
  is 
  here 
  very 
  nearly 
  in 
  contact 
  with 
  the 
  trap 
  tufa 
  just 
  mentioned. 
  

   The 
  strata 
  absolutely 
  resemble 
  those 
  at 
  Dryburgh, 
  four 
  miles 
  lower 
  down 
  the 
  banks 
  

   of 
  the 
  Tweed. 
  They 
  are 
  purplish-red 
  and 
  white 
  alternating, 
  consisting 
  of 
  sandstone 
  

   mixed 
  with 
  much 
  slate-clay, 
  and 
  are 
  here 
  occasionally 
  very 
  much 
  altered 
  in 
  tex- 
  

   ture 
  ; 
  the 
  soft 
  sandstone 
  becoming 
  very 
  white 
  and 
  crystalline, 
  and 
  the 
  slate-clay 
  

   becoming 
  extremely 
  hardened, 
  without 
  losing 
  its 
  power 
  of 
  being 
  diffused 
  in 
  water 
  

   by 
  steeping. 
  The 
  strata 
  are 
  horizontal 
  ; 
  and 
  they 
  are 
  intermixed 
  in 
  some 
  places 
  

   with 
  trap 
  rock, 
  intermediate 
  between 
  trap 
  tufa 
  and 
  felspar 
  rock. 
  The 
  altered 
  

   sandstones 
  and 
  shales 
  extend 
  up 
  both 
  branches 
  of 
  the 
  little 
  stream 
  until 
  they 
  

   touch 
  the 
  grey 
  wacke 
  between 
  the 
  numbers 
  18 
  and 
  19, 
  the 
  former 
  being 
  iron- 
  

   shot 
  strata 
  of 
  greywacke, 
  vertical 
  and 
  running 
  north-east 
  by 
  east, 
  the 
  latter 
  is 
  

   the 
  altered 
  slate-clay 
  of 
  a 
  pearl-grey 
  colour, 
  which 
  can 
  here 
  only 
  form 
  a 
  narrow 
  

   strip 
  dividing 
  the 
  red 
  sandstone 
  from 
  the 
  Eildon 
  trap. 
  I 
  have 
  not 
  succeeded 
  in 
  

   tracing 
  this 
  patch 
  of 
  red 
  sandstone 
  farther 
  west, 
  at 
  least 
  with 
  any 
  certainty. 
  

  

  I 
  now 
  come 
  to 
  speak 
  of 
  the 
  trap 
  tufa 
  of 
  Melrose, 
  a 
  rock 
  always 
  interesting 
  in 
  

   its 
  geognostic 
  relations, 
  and 
  on 
  which 
  my 
  repeated 
  examinations 
  throw 
  some 
  light. 
  

   It 
  is 
  a 
  very 
  perfect 
  rock 
  of 
  its 
  kind 
  ; 
  including 
  numberless 
  fragments 
  of 
  felspar 
  

   porphyry, 
  usually 
  rather 
  small, 
  and 
  united 
  by 
  an 
  earthy 
  basis, 
  which 
  is 
  either 
  of 
  

   a 
  yellowish-brown 
  or 
  of 
  a 
  leaden-grey 
  colour. 
  It 
  also 
  contains 
  many 
  small 
  frag- 
  

   ments 
  of 
  a 
  pearl-grey 
  hue 
  and 
  uniform 
  texture. 
  These 
  I 
  believe 
  to 
  be 
  portions 
  of 
  

   the 
  altered 
  slate-clay 
  already 
  spoken 
  of. 
  It 
  is 
  rather 
  extensively 
  quarried 
  as 
  a 
  

   building 
  material, 
  for 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  exceedingly 
  well 
  adapted, 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  soft 
  1 
  at 
  first, 
  

   and 
  hardens 
  on 
  exposure. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  Dingleton 
  Burn, 
  already 
  mentioned, 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  seen 
  that 
  the 
  vertical 
  

   strata 
  of 
  greywacke 
  run 
  towards 
  the 
  " 
  Quarry 
  Hill," 
  without 
  the 
  slightest 
  discon- 
  

   tinuity 
  or 
  swerving 
  ; 
  and 
  though 
  we 
  cannot 
  trace 
  the 
  junction, 
  it 
  is 
  all 
  but 
  certain 
  

   that 
  the 
  mass 
  of 
  trap 
  tufa 
  must 
  cut 
  off 
  the 
  greywacke 
  strata 
  abruptly. 
  I 
  was 
  able 
  

   to 
  detect 
  traces 
  of 
  the 
  greywacke 
  in 
  a 
  very 
  imperfect 
  section 
  immediately 
  behind 
  

   the 
  Melrose 
  Station, 
  which 
  is 
  within 
  a 
  short 
  distance 
  of 
  the 
  lofty 
  escarpment 
  

   of 
  trap 
  tufa, 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  transition 
  is 
  probably 
  extremely 
  abrupt. 
  The 
  trap 
  tufa 
  

   is 
  separated 
  throughout 
  from 
  the 
  Eildon 
  trap 
  by 
  greywacke 
  strata. 
  I 
  imagine 
  that 
  

   it 
  is 
  more 
  recent 
  than 
  the 
  Eildon 
  trap. 
  It 
  has 
  unquestionably 
  succeeded 
  the 
  

   deposit 
  of 
  the 
  Dryburgh 
  sandstone, 
  as 
  is 
  also 
  manifested 
  by 
  the 
  alterations 
  which 
  

  

  