﻿OF 
  THE 
  MORAY 
  FIRTH 
  AREA. 
  

  

  275 
  

  

  no 
  vestige 
  of 
  an 
  Old 
  Eed 
  fish 
  had 
  been 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  block 
  of 
  

   stone 
  or 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  stratum 
  with 
  a 
  reptilian 
  bone, 
  the 
  exact 
  

   junction 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  sets 
  of 
  beds 
  had 
  nowhere 
  been 
  seen. 
  However, 
  

   as 
  Professor 
  Judd 
  relates 
  (24), 
  an 
  old 
  quarry 
  at 
  Cuttie's 
  Hillock, 
  

   close 
  to 
  the 
  Old 
  Red 
  beds 
  of 
  the 
  Quarry 
  Wood 
  range, 
  was 
  re-opened 
  

   in 
  1882, 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  Dicynodont 
  and 
  Pareiasaurian 
  remains 
  above 
  

   alluded 
  to 
  were 
  discovered, 
  while 
  in 
  a 
  deep 
  excavation 
  at 
  the 
  bottom 
  

   of 
  the 
  quarry, 
  temporarily 
  made 
  and 
  presently 
  abandoned, 
  an 
  un- 
  

   doubted 
  specimen 
  of 
  Holoptychius 
  nobilissimus, 
  now 
  in 
  the 
  Elgin 
  

   Museum, 
  was 
  found. 
  This 
  excavation 
  was 
  investigated 
  by 
  Professor 
  

   Judd, 
  who 
  came 
  to 
  the 
  conclusion 
  that 
  the 
  upper 
  or 
  reptiliferous 
  

   series 
  had 
  for 
  its 
  base 
  a 
  bed 
  of 
  conglomerate, 
  which 
  rested 
  on 
  an 
  

   eroded 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  lower 
  series 
  containing 
  the 
  Holoptychius 
  re- 
  

   ferred 
  to. 
  It 
  is 
  true 
  that 
  the 
  sufficiency 
  of 
  this 
  demonstration 
  has 
  

   been 
  questioned 
  by 
  the 
  late 
  Dr. 
  Gordon 
  and 
  Mr. 
  Gordon 
  Phillips, 
  on 
  

   the 
  ground 
  that 
  the 
  conglomerate 
  band 
  is 
  a 
  mere 
  local 
  phenomenon, 
  

   and 
  disappears 
  in 
  other 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  quarry, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  certainly 
  to 
  be 
  

   regretted 
  that 
  the 
  junction 
  was 
  exhibited 
  for 
  so 
  extremely 
  limited 
  an 
  

   extent 
  as 
  ten 
  feet 
  ; 
  yet 
  the 
  superposition 
  of 
  the 
  Reptiliferous 
  beds 
  

   is 
  clearly 
  established, 
  and 
  the 
  affinities 
  of 
  their 
  contained 
  reptiles 
  

   leave 
  no 
  doubt 
  as 
  to 
  their 
  Triassic 
  age. 
  

  

  Footprints 
  also, 
  of 
  which 
  there 
  can 
  in 
  this 
  case 
  be 
  no 
  doubt 
  as 
  

   to 
  their 
  reality, 
  have 
  occurred 
  in 
  these 
  rocks 
  at 
  certain 
  localities 
  

   towards 
  the 
  sea, 
  notably 
  at 
  Cummingstone 
  and 
  Hopeman. 
  They 
  were 
  

   discovered 
  in 
  1851 
  (13) 
  by 
  Major 
  (then 
  Captain) 
  Brickenden, 
  and 
  

   have 
  been 
  figured 
  and 
  described 
  by 
  Huxley 
  (59, 
  pp. 
  49, 
  pi. 
  xiv.-xvi), 
  

   who, 
  considering 
  them 
  allied 
  to 
  certain 
  footprints 
  from 
  the 
  Red 
  

   Sandstones 
  of 
  Dumfriesshire, 
  to 
  which 
  Sir 
  W. 
  Jardine 
  gave 
  the 
  

   generic 
  name 
  of 
  Chelichnus, 
  proposed 
  to 
  designate 
  them 
  Clielichnus 
  

   megacheirus. 
  They 
  might, 
  in 
  his 
  opinion, 
  have 
  been 
  made 
  by 
  a 
  five- 
  

   toed 
  Parasuchian 
  or 
  Ornithoscelid 
  (Dinosaurian) 
  reptile. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  also 
  an 
  interesting 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  Reptiles 
  found 
  at 
  Cuttie's 
  

   Hillock, 
  though 
  also 
  Triassic 
  in 
  fades, 
  are, 
  as 
  Mr. 
  E. 
  T. 
  Newton 
  

   observes, 
  different 
  from 
  those 
  found 
  in 
  any 
  other 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  area 
  

   of 
  the 
  Reptiliferous 
  sandstone. 
  

  

  The 
  remains 
  themselves 
  occur 
  either 
  as 
  detached 
  bones 
  and 
  

   scutes, 
  or 
  as 
  skeletons 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  entire. 
  It 
  must 
  be 
  noted 
  that 
  

   in 
  very 
  many 
  cases 
  the 
  bone 
  substance 
  has 
  entirely 
  disappeared, 
  

  

  