on the Eildon Hills. 



211 



diluvium containing angular fragments of greywacke and trap 

 rocks. 



In the afternoon, Mr. Kemp kindly accompanied me on a 

 hasty visit from Galashiels to Williamlaw. My time being 

 limited and the evening advancing, he selected this hill as 

 offering the best example of the terraces in the neighbour- 

 hood, for he had traced, more or less distinctly, detached 

 portions of no less than eight of the whole series, between the 

 summit and the base. Two or three of the lowest of these 

 (7, 8, and 9 of his series,) are the broadest and most continu- 

 ous, averaging 100, 120, and 130 feet wide respectively about 

 the middle, where they appear to be swollen out, narrowing 

 irregularly on each side till they are lost in the general slope 

 of the hill. These occur on the south side of the hill, and 

 front the valley of the Gala. On one of them the surface is 

 raised in the middle or widest part, and declines each way 

 towards the narrower extremities at an angle of 3 to 6 degrees, 

 a vertical longitudinal section having this form : — 



At first sight it appeared that both the greater width and the 

 raised surface of the middle portion, might be caused by an 

 accumulation of detritus from above ; but on examination it 

 was composed of the solid rock. On another, the central 

 accumulation is so situated under a projecting rock, that it 

 could not have found a lodgement there in falling from above ; 

 nor was there any trace of a furrow or ancient water-course 

 which might have brought down diluvium, when this spot 

 marked the level of the water. The natural slope of the hill 

 in the neighbourhood of these lower terraces, forms an angle 

 varying from 30 to 40 degrees. 



A little to the westward of these, and higher up the hill, the 

 series of inclined projecting ridges of hard greywacke rock, 

 which are named in the article referred to as apparently con- 

 tradictory, but are really confirmatory of the theory advanced, 

 may be seen to greater advantage than either nearer the sum- 

 mit or the base. Regarding these, or rather the protuberances 

 and intermediate indentations by which they are stated to be 

 marked, as the experimprntum cruris of the whole theory, I 

 was anxious to satisfy myself of the coincidence of level be- 

 tween these points and the horizontal terraces ; but after the 

 best attention I was able to give, I regret to say, that whether 

 from the unfavourable point from which I viewed them, with 

 regard to perspective, or from the general ruggedness of the 



p 2 



