704 
Proceedings of the Royal Society 
approving of the scheme, and appointing a committee, and an ab¬ 
stract of the paper read in the Society in April 1871, explaining 
the scheme, were transmitted to the ministers of all rural parishes 
in Scotland. 
About 700 circulars were issued. After the lapse of six months 
about 100 answers were received. 
The committee, on considering these, were of opinion, that in 
making their queries applicable only to boulders exceeding 50 
tons in weight, they had probably erred, by excluding many boulders 
of interest, and to this circumstance they attributed the small 
number of answers sent. 
They therefore resolved to issue another circular containing the 
same queries as before, to cover boulders exceeding 20 tons in 
weight. This circular was addressed to parochial schoolmasters, as 
the committee feared that they might be considered troublesome, if 
they made a second application to ministers of parishes. 
This second circular brought to the committee a large amount 
of information, and they desire now to express their cordial thanks 
to both classes of reporters for responding so readily. 
When the committee was appointed, an expectation was ex¬ 
pressed that they should, from time to time, lay before the Society 
some account of their proceedings, and of the progress made by 
them. 
In now' proceeding to the performance of this duty, the committee 
will confine themselves to a statement of facts communicated, and 
avoid at present attempting to draw conclusions from these facts. 
1. In order to show the situations of the boulders reported on, 
the committee have drawn up a list,* according to counties, giv¬ 
ing the names of the parishes where boulders occur, adding shortly 
any particulars regarding them, such as size, nature of the rock 
composing the boulder, direction of the longer axis, striations, 
popular names, and legend, if any. 
They have also, on a general map of Scotland, indicated by a red 
cross the exact position of the most remarkable boulders. 
From this table and map, it will be seen that Aberdeenshire pos¬ 
sesses the largest number of boulders, and also the boulders of 
greatest magnitude. 
* This list is in the Appendix. 
