10 James Durham — The “ Karnes ” of Newport, Fife. 
are numerous vertical rock faces tbat can be traced along horizontal 
parallel lines at various levels, wbicb so closely resemble tbe rocks 
of tbe pi-esent sea-sbore, tliat tbere is no reason to doubt tliat tliey 
are old sea-levels, wbicb as the land rose were successively wasbed 
by its waves. From tbe fact tbat between tbe bases of tbe higher 
lines of cliffs and tbe tops of tbose beneatb tliem, tbere are usually 
gently sloping declivities, one is apt to conclude tbat tbe upward 
movement bad not been uniform ; but it is well to bear in mind 
tbat tbe beigbt of tbe clifF is by no means a trustwortby measure of one 
period of rest, as tbe following fact illustrates. From tbe rocks at 
tbe upper ligbt-bouse at Tayport to a point balf a mile to tbe 
westward, there is a break in the line of cliff, tbat elsewbere almost 
uninterruptedly forms tbe margin of tbe estuary ; tbe break is 
occupied by a series of gravel terraces, wbicb, beginning very little 
above tbe reach of tbe tide, succeed eacb other a good way up the 
bill-sides in rises of from five to ten feet, and as tbe present sea-cliff 
is equal in beigbt to two or tbree of tbese terraces, it is apparent 
tbat it must have formed tbe sbore-line during tbe various elevations 
of tbe land to wbicb tbey bear testimony, and remains tbe sbore- 
line still. But whether tbe land rose per saltum, or witb an unin- 
terrupted gradual motion, tbe sea bas left lasting testimony of its 
presence in tbe form of a line of great cliffs, wbicb can be traced 
along all tbe liills, between 150 and 200 feet above tbe datum-line 
of tbe Ordnance Survey. In colouring tbe accompanying map, I 
have adopted tbe higher level, in order to sbow tbe geograpby of 
tbe district wben tbe Kames were covered by tbe sea. (See Plate I.) 
Tbat tbese waterworn gravels and sands are not, as some bave 
suggested, ancient deposits of tbe Tay, is, I tbink, very evident. Tbe 
late Dr. William Bbind made a careful estimate of tbe gravels of 
tbe estuary, and found tbat seventy-five per Cent, of tbem consist of 
fragments of tbe rocks along its margin ; wbile, as bas been stated, 
tbe constituents of tbe Kames are nearly all far-travelled. Tbere is 
indeed little doubt tbat we owe to tbe ancient glaciers tbe intro- 
duction into tbis district of tbe materials wbicb form tbese Kames. 
As tbey slowly drew back over tbe lowlands, tbey must bave 
gradually buried hill and valley under a tliick layer of tbe stones 
wbicb they carried on their surface, witb gneiss and mica-schist 
and granite from tbe Higbland mountains, witb Old Bed Conglomerate, 
and Old Bed Sandstone from the formations on tbe flanks of the 
Grampians, and witb greenstones and basalts from the rocks in tbe 
vicinity. Tbese rock-fragments would be mostly angular, as, after 
tbey were broken off tbe bill-sides, tbey had merely rested on tbe 
surface of tbe glacier, until they were deposited on tbe track of the 
receding ice. Such fragments as found their way tbrougb crevasses 
to tbe bottom of tbe glacier were crusbed and ground beneatb it, 
and on its witbdrawal formed “ tili,” which in tbis neighbourhood 
is a compact mass of light brown clay enclosing smoothed and 
scratclied stones, mostly local, and nearly as solid and tenacious as 
rock itself, and not at all to be coufounded witb tbe materials of 
tbe Kames. 
