302 



THE GEOLOGIST. 



of Dungoyne, and the long, unbroken front of the Campsie fells, rising, terrace 

 upon terrace, stretching from the Earl's seat on the west towards Kilsyth on 

 the east, and forming one of the principal features of this part of the country. 

 The numerous glens with which the flanks of these hills are scarred exhibit 

 much picturesque beauty, and afford not a few interesting sections of the 

 stratified rocks and overlying trap, while, in their deep recesses, nestle many 

 fine specimens of botanical rarities. 



On rounding the wooded heights of Carbeth- Guthrie, the road pursues a 

 westerly direction, when we get a glimpse of the distant Grampians through 

 the valley of the Blane, cheering us with the anticipation that by the time 

 we reach the brow of the hill overlooking the Whangie, we shall have a mag- 

 nificent view of that tumultuous sea of mountains, stretching from the Argyll- 

 shire coast on the south-west through Perthshire towards the distant north- 

 east. Having arrived at the gamekeeper's lodge, the party put themselves 

 under his guidance, and were conducted over the swelling heights of Aucheneden 

 by the shortest route to the Whangie, permission having been kindly granted 

 by the proprietor, John Wilson, Esq., of Aucheneden, to visit the singular 

 chasm. The excursionists at length reached the western brow of the hill, and 

 were amply rewarded for their toil by the magnificent prospect spread out 

 before them. In the foreground the fertile valley of Strathendrick is seen 

 extending from Lochlomond on the west towards Eintry valley and Stirling on 

 the east, while in the rising ground towards Callander and Aberfoyle a fine 

 view is obtained of the Menteith district, with the lake of the " Port," and 

 its three verdant islets reposing on its placid bosom in calm sequestered beauty. 

 The most prominent expanse of water seen from this point is Lochlomond ; 

 and there is perhaps no other locality from which a more interesting and ex- 

 tensive view of the queen of Scottish lakes may be obtained. No intervening 

 heights obstruct the eye, and lighted up as it was by the bright rays of the 

 noon-day sun, its numerous islets, and objects on its surface even more minute, 

 although at a considerable distance, were distinctly visible to the unassisted 

 sight ; and while the party was looking down upon them, the steamer, with its 

 long line of smoke, was perceived threading its devious course with its living 

 freight of pleasure-seekers. Among the lofty mountains that form the back- 

 ground of this magnificent landscape, Benlomond stands out in bold relief, 

 bearing on its summit lingering patches of the snows of winter. The rich 

 tract of lowland in the foreground, with its verdant pastures and cultivated 

 fields, dotted with comfortable farmsteads and snug mansions, formed an agree- 

 able contrast to the rugged grandeur of the distant hills, melting away in the 

 far north into those aerial tints that artists love. 



The winding recesses of the Whangie were explored, many of the party 

 having traversed the chasm several times, remarking the exactness with which 

 the opposite sides correspond, and offering opinions as to the cause by which 

 this remarkable fissure has been produced. The greater number then pro- 

 ceeded to refresh themselves at a cool and glassy spring that issues from the 

 foot of a verdant slope below the Whangie, while a second party took exact 

 measurements of its dimensions and bearings. Having done so, they found 

 that the results corresponded very closely with those given in the " Statistical 

 Account" of the parish of Killearn. The Whangie may be described as a con- 

 siderable chasm or rift running parallel with the face of a cliff, in a slightly 

 fori nous line, from north to south, through the western shoulder of one of the 

 ridges of the Kilpatrick range, which consists of a splintery greenstone over- 

 lying old red sandstone, here forming the base of the hill, and cropping out a 

 little farther to the north. The force which has produced this terrible fissure 

 has rent from the main body of the hill a huge wall of rock, varying from 

 ten to twenty feet in thickness at the base, and gradually narrowing towards 



