110 
A WEEK IN NORTH WALES. 
May, 1892. 
theories, Druid theories, Amorite theories, and so on, and so 
on. At any rate, the old time vanished people had chosen 
a fine though somewhat desolate place for their temple or 
memorials. As we saw them, with the sun getting near the 
horizon, shining red on the ruddy crest of the rugged Taly- 
fan, the ragged clouds chasing swiftly along overhead, the 
rush of the wind among the grass underfoot, and the green 
hollow in which Penmaenmawr lay peacefully in the evening 
light, the impression was one which will not easily be 
effaced. 
From this ridge we soon got on to the high ground from 
which rises the curious mass which forms the summit of Pen¬ 
maenmawr itself, and at a little farm cottage just under this, 
an old woman, who seemed to be the solitary inhabitant, tried, 
as far as her English would allow, to dissuade us from any 
attempt to go further up. However, there was an easy path, 
which soon brought us on to the top, where we found that 
the wind was so violent that we could not stand upright, but 
could only crouch down behind the cairn. Attempts to reach 
the second cairn, at a distance of a few yards, only resulted in 
ignominious clutcliings at the bits of rock for support, so we 
speedily gave up the idea of doing more than getting down 
again as soon as possible. When passing round the knob or 
peak (whichever you like to call it), the'roar of the wind 
among the stones was more like a train in a tunnel than anv 
other noise we could think of, and even where we were the 
shelter of the stone wall along which our road lay was 
decidedly comfortable. By this time the evening was getting 
late, but we just had a look into the great quarry, and got a 
few specimens of the curious segregation veins which are so 
striking a feature in the stone. Some years ago I exhibited 
to the Society and described the curious way in which these 
latest residues of the cooling mass approximate in composi¬ 
tion to granite, both in the higher silica percentage and in 
the proportion of potash to soda. 
The descent from the quarry to the village of Llanfair- 
fechan was performed almost in the dark, and our five hours’ 
blowing about made the quiet and rest and food at the hotel 
very welcome. 
The next day we took train for Aber, and walked up the 
valley to the falls. As all here very likely know this part 
thoroughly well, there is no need to describe the beautiful 
lower part of the valley, which in many places it seems no 
impertinence to compare with that of the Lyn, at Lynmouth, 
the wider wooded middle section of the valley, or the 
falls, beautiful, even though the amount of water is 
but small. Here we struck up the screes on the. east 
