oj Edinburgh, Session 1871 - 72 . 
703 
3. First Report by the Committee on Boulders appointed 
by the Society. 
In April 1871, a paper was read in this Society proposing a 
scheme for the conservation of boulder or erratic blocks in Scotland, 
in so far as they were remarkable for size or other features of 
interest. The Council of the Society approved of the scheme, 
appointed a committee to carry it out, and agreed to aid in meeting 
the expense of any circulars which might be necessary for con¬ 
ducting the inquiries. 
The objects of the committee were twofold. They were first to 
ascertain the districts in Scotland where any remarkable boulders 
were situated; and, second, to select those which might be deemed 
worthy of preservation, with the view of requesting landed proprie¬ 
tors and tenants of farms not to destroy them. 
The labours of the committee have as yet been directed only to 
the first of these objects. 
In order to procure information, they drew out a set of printed 
queries, applicable to boulders apparently above 50 tons in weight, 
in order to ascertain the parishes in which they were situated, and 
the names of the proprietor and tenant on whose lands they were; 
and also to learn other features, such as the nature of the rocks 
composing the boulders, their form, and the existence of striations 
upon them. Inquiry was also made whether the boulders had any 
traditional names or popular legend connected with them, or ex¬ 
hibited any artificial markings. 
The committee thought that, with a view to the conservation of 
the boulders, the greater the interest which could be shown to 
attach to them, the more chance there would be of inducing pro¬ 
prietors and tenants to preserve such as the committee might 
select for preservation. 
Besides queries about boulders, there was one query directed to 
ascertain the occurrence of kaimes or eskars , i.e., long banks of sand 
and gravel, as some persons imagined that the agents which trans¬ 
ported boulders might have had some relation with, or might throw 
some light on those which were concerned in the formation of those 
deposits. 
Circulars containing queries, a copy of the minute of Council 
