of Edinburgh, Session 1881-82. 
793 
would be desirable to preserve, boulders remarkable for size, or 
shape, or position, or for markings upon them ; and when a report 
was made to the Committee of any boulder of this description, the 
Committee would judge whether an application should be made to 
the proprietor on whose lands it was situated, to spare the stone, so 
that it might be preserved for examination and study. I have little 
doubt that such an appeal would be attended to. Indeed, in the 
great majority of cases, a proprietor would be pleased to learn, that 
an object of scientific interest had been discovered on his estate, and 
would be glad to have it in his power to accede to any request in 
relation to it coming from a Committee of this Society. 
The first step taken by the Committee was to send out about 700 
circulars to parochial ministers in Scotch counties, containing queries, 
with the view — 
1. Of ascertaining localities where boulders exceeding 50 tons in 
weight existed. 
2. Of obtaining the dimensions of these boulders. 
3. Of learning whether the rocks beneath and near these boulders, 
were the same as or different from the rock composing the boulders. 
4. Of inquiring whether there existed any accumulations of sand 
or gravel in the form of mounds, or elongated embankments, above 
sea level. 
5. Of ascertaining whether these boulders were known by any 
traditional name or legend. 
These 700 circulars produced about 100 answers, containing much 
valuable information. But the Committee on considering the answers 
came to be of opinion, that they had acted injudiciously in asking 
information only regarding boulders exceeding 50 tons in weight. 
They thereupon resolved to send out another circular containing 
the same queries as before, but extending to boulders of 20 tons and 
upwards in weight. 
The Committee fearing that they might be considered troublesome, 
in again applying to ministers of parishes, addressed their second 
circular to parochial schoolmasters. 
The answers received from them contained a very large amount of 
information. 
The answers to both circulars were then carefully examined by 
