236 
GEOLOGICAL CIIAWOES OF THE EAET** ,j 
The production of the quaking bogs is a? -■<* 
-- -j <35 - 
When a stream or spring runs through a nat, J 
fiiied with weeds in summer, and trees fall across 
it up. During the winter season the water stagf**^^ 
«v k.j-. — Q . - . ^ i1 
and more every year, until the whole flatiscO j(|' 
It'S. i( 
coarse kind of grass, peculiai to thc.se bogs, ^P'j'jrk 
- ■ • - .... j|, 
tufts, the roots of which are consolidated, .i—- jj> , 
few years, grow to the height of several 
winter the grass rots, and falls with its seed on M 
thus adding to their growth the ensuing spring. .gjO' 
of flags and grass are sometimes interwoven on 
of the water, and gradually becoming thicker,^ [,j' j 
.superficies. On this covering herbs grow j 
interweaving of their roots, it is rendered so s ‘ ^ K, 
bear a man. Some of these bogs sink, 
stands, to a considerable depth, and rise before 
1 .1 . 1 . j ^ X? 4 -Kacaa lU .a^ 
underneath, the water is clear. Even these 
come red bogs ; but may easily be converted 
land, by clearing a trench for the passage ot tJi« ^ 
Sir Hans Sloane, in his accoimt of the bogs 
published in the Philosophical Transactions, 
ous fact, namely, that when the turf-diggers, cl'f/i 
dug out the earth proper to make turf or iieat, t 
bottom, so as to come to the clayey or other sou>^ 
ing off the water, they met with the roots f 
with their stumps standing upright, and tbe^ 
spread out on every side horizontally. d 
the place of the growth of these trees, the bt^an - 
. ^ 1-1 .-voffo r%C iS ^ 
roots of which are In some parts matted, as is^. 
roots of trees closely planted. Large pieces of qi^. 
been found, not only in clay-pits, but likewise . nU, 
or stone-pits, in the blocks ot stone 
strata or layers. The black spongy mould 
peat smell's strongly of bitumen, or petroleu'^^tS 
proportion of the oil of which is yielded by [,<i 
proportion ot the oil ot which is yieldea o/ 
In several parts of Ireland a singular phenorn^^ ^ jf 
'i'- 
observed ; on horses trampling with their feet jjeJ' / 
soft ground, a sudden appearance of light ® 
the mould, which agreed in colour, lightne^^ 
peat-earth, being examined with a microscop^^l 
was found to proceed from an abundan^ 
transparent whitish live worms which lay in *t- 
