486 
Proceedings of the Royal Society 
14. Aberdeen Natural History Society. 
15. Aberdeen Philosophical Society. ( President , Professor 
Ogilvie, M.D.; Secretary , Alex. D. Milne, 37 Thistle 
Street.) 
16. Natural History Society, Elgin. 
17. Orkney Natural History Society. 
Being myself a member of one of these Societies, I know that 
some of its members have devoted themselves to the subject of 
boulders, and of moraine-looking deposits, occurring within the 
district over which the operations of the Society extend. 
Sir Walter Elliot tells me that he has information of a Field 
Naturalists’ Club in England which has specially directed its atten¬ 
tion to the boulders of the district. 
It is quite true that, in Switzerland and in the south of France 
boulders, considerable in size and numbers, are much more abun¬ 
dant than in Scotland, so that little searching is required to enable 
the provincial societies of these countries, to carry out the investi¬ 
gation proposed to them. 
On the other hand, let it not be imagined, that in Scotland the 
boulders generally are not of such interest as to deserve the adop¬ 
tion of proceedings similar to those now being adopted in Switzer¬ 
land and France. Even within the limited range of my own dis¬ 
coveries, I know and have measured eight boulders in the south-east 
of Scotland, the smallest of which is 10 tons and the largest 918 
tons in weight, and all possessing features more or less significant. 
There are others equally large which I have heard of, but have 
not seen. Moreover, almost all these boulders have old traditional 
names, and many of them legends which indicate, that the} 7 have 
been objects of popular and even superstitious regard. 
There are two objects which ought to be aimed at. The first is 
to obtain a list of all boulders which appear remarkable; i.e., re¬ 
markable for size, and instructive on account of polishing, ruts 
on the surface, or any other circumstance. The second is to put 
down on maps, a mark to represent the exact position of boulders, 
occurring in groups, or of large individual boulders. 
