670 MR DAVID MILNE HOME ON THE BOULDER-CLAY OF EUROPE. 



before entering it, and after quitting it, is nearly from N.W. to S.E." Whilst lie 

 shows from numerous examples, that the direction in the Lothians was from 

 W. ^ S., he shows that near Stirling it was from N. 50° W., and near St Abb's 

 Head from N. 35° W.* (true bearings). 



4. The next point bearing on this question which I wish to put, is the char- 

 acter of the fauna found in the boulder-clay; which, being marine, afford strong 

 evidence not only adverse to the theory that it is a land deposit, but favourable 

 to the theory that it is a sea deposit. 



The following enumeration of localities where boulder-clay has been found 

 containing sea-shells is not complete ; but it is sufficiently extensive to establish 

 the fact : — 



Near Airdrie (Lanarkshire), "in the till itself," the late Mr Smith "found 

 broken and water- worn fragments of shells irregularly dispersed in it, and 

 amongst them the Cyprina islandica and a large species of Balanits." \ 



In Wigtownshire, "in the genuine till or brown sandy unstratified clay, 

 with blocks of transported rocks interspersed through it," Mr Moore found "one 

 perfect valve of Astarte compressa" \ 



In Aberdeenshire, various species of sea-shells have been found in the boulder- 

 clay by both Dr Chambers and Mr Jameson. § 



In Caithness, at several places sea-shells and other marine testacea have been 

 found in this deposit by Mr Jameson and Mr Peach. || 



This point was seen to be of so much importance that a special examination 

 of the Caithness boulder-clay was undertaken by Mr Peach and two other gentle- 

 men. They not only discovered in it many species of sea-shells, but by washing 

 it, and examining with the microscope, they discovered no less than ten or twelve 

 genera of Foraminifera, Entomostraca, and other minute marine organisms. In 

 a paper read by Mr Peach before the British Association in 1864, and published 

 in their Transactions, it is stated that he and Mr Anderson had " washed boulder- 

 clays from many localities extending from near John 0' Groat's to beyond Wick, 

 and all the samples tried yielded more or fewer of these animals, from whatever 

 part of the deposit the clay was taken." He adds, that " he had not previously 

 found two valves of a shell united in the clay. He had, however, since got an 

 Anomia with both valves in place. It occurred in boulder-clay containing the 

 usual rubbed stones and broken shells. Mr Anderson has also a piece of shell 

 on which is a cluster of young Balani." Mr Peach gives a list of no less than 

 "eighty-three species of shells, &c, from the boulder-clay of Caithness." ^[ 



In the same volume of the British Association Reports there is a list of thirteen 



* Ed. R. S. Tr. vol. vii. p. 2 CO. j Researches, p. 141. 



+ Smith's Researches, p. 143. 



§ Proceedings of the Lond. Geolog. Society for 1866, pp. 274-5. 



I Ibid. p. 267. f Brit. Assoc. Reports for 1864, p. 62. 



