14. On Striated and Polished Rocks and "Roches Moutonnées in the Lake District of Westmoreland. "Brit. Assoc. Rep." 1850, Part II. p. 76. 15. On Striated and Polished Rocks in the Lake District of Cumberland. "Phil. Mag." xxxvii. 1850, p. 486. 16. On the Glacial Phenomena of the Lake District of England. Assoc. Rep." 1855, Part II., p. 80. "Brit. 17. On the Order of Succession in the Drift Beds of the Island of Arran; and 18. On the occurrence of Beds in the west of Scotland beneath the Boulder Clay. Both in "Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc. London," xxi. 1865, p. 204. 19. On the Jurassic Rocks of Skye and Raasay. London," xxix. 1873, p. 317. "Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc. "Brit. Assoc. 20. On the Matrix of the Gold in the Scottish Goldfields. Rep." 1870, p. 70. PAPERS read by Dr BRYCE before the EDINBURGH GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY.* 4th February 1875.-Notice of some Geological Sections in the North-west Highlands. 16th December 1875.-Notes on the Geology of the West Highlands and Western Islands. 24th February 1876.-Further Observations on recent Earthquake shocks in Scotland, and the means of testing their force and direction. 30th November 1876.-Observations on the Classification of the Coal series and the Scottish Trap-rocks. # Reports of these papers will be found in the Edinburgh newspapers of the day following. II.-Notes on the Fossil Plants found in the Old Red Sandstone of Shetland, Orkney, Caithness, Sutherland, and Forfarshire. By C. W. PEACH, A.L.S. (Read 20th December 1877.) The flora of the Old Red Sandstone has lately been examined in various parts of the world, and much has been written about it, especially on that of Canada, by Principal Dawson, of M'Gill University, Montreal, who has carefully examined and illustrated it in his "Acadian Geology," "Fossil Plants of the Devonian Formation in Canada," also in several communications in the "Canadian Naturalist," and "Transactions of the Geological Society of London," &c. He also has favoured us to-night with "Notes on some Scottish Devonian Plants," and in it there is much that I fully agree with, especially where he states "that branchlets of Psilophyton must have been woody rather than herbaceous, and their appearance is quite different from that of true Algae." When I came into Scotland in 1849 the prevailing notion was, that with the exception of the Lignite found by Hugh Miller in a nodule at Cromarty, and figured by him at page 194 in the "Footprints of the Creator," Edinburgh Edition of 1861, that the plants found in the Old Red Sandstone rocks of Scotland were Fucoids. Up to this time I had only known the Devonian formations in Cornwall, in which plants were so very rare that I got only one very small piece near Fowey, and Mr Giles, of Liskeard, another near that place, but much larger; it is like some that I have since met with in Scotland; both were, however, so water-worn that no structure could be seen in them. In 1853 I removed to Wick in Caithness, and as soon as duty would allow I was at the rocks, and although deeply interested in the fossil fish found there, my mind ran after the plants, from a feeling that if they yielded one specimen showing" coniferous structure," it would not be the " only olive leaf of the Old Red." As well I felt that it was a field in which I could be more usefully employed than in the well worked and trodden one of the fishes; and with this feeling, when I had occasion for the first time to visit our out station at Thurso, after attending to the duty required of me there, and having a night's rest, I rose before dawn and was miles from Thurso before sunrise, and was "well repaid for my early rising," for the first piece of plant I got was Lepidodendroid like, and although much weathered the prints of scales and leaves could be well seen; these, with here and there the coaly remains of the bark, staggered me. I found several other pieces of plants--none so good as the first still there was enough in them to add to my surprise, and I said, "these at anyrate are not Fucoids." After this I went on collecting and communicating my finds to Sir R. Murchison and others, and in time I was gratified to find noted in "Siluria," at page 258, by Sir R. Murchison, that the plants of the Caithness flags " are all clearly of terrestrial origin." Thus it was pleasant to find that my first impression was right after all. Whenever opportunity offered I have worked diligently, with the same success, in all the localities noted in the heading and list of genera, &c., mentioned in this paper. Much still requires to be done in these now well worked localities, for in every new opening up of the rocks new species are almost sure to turn up, or, at anyrate, portions that "may reveal the most important truths," and help to clear up the darkness which had before overshadowed previously discovered forms; often have I experienced this, and therefore always took care of every scrap I possibly could. I regret that my list is such a short one; but, if considered with the information in 1844, when Fucoids prevailed and land plants were considered to be nil, it will be seen that it is not so bad after all, viz., 14 genera and about 24 species of land plants, and many others waiting for examination and identification; the tables are now turned, and land plants prevail and Fucoids are nil. I had hoped ere this that some one would have done for the plants of the Old Red Sandstone of the British Islands what Principal Dawson has so well done for those of Canada, at present I see no prospect of such. It would be well if all lovers of Old Red fossils were to make known their discoveries and place them where they may be got at when such a welcome visitor appears. The best of mine are in Jermyn Street Geological, and British Museums, and portions also in the Museum of Science and Art at Edinburgh; and thus, I trust, safely preserved for future use. List of the Land Plants of the Old Red Sandstone of Dadoxylon of Dawson, Araucaria of Queckett, Araucarioxylon (?) of Krauss.-In pale-coloured sandstone from Harland and Camstone at Kilmster, near Wick, and a splendid example in the sandstone near Freswick Castle, Caithness; this specimen shows the pitted structure, and medullary rays, &c., as well as an opaque object. The one from Kilmster in the same manner shows the glandular wood tissue in a section parallel to the medullary rays. This specimen was examined by Mr Queckett for Sir Roderick Murchison, and pronounced "of coniferous structure in the arrangement and number of disks upon, the fibres; they approach near to the Araucarian group." Some of the specimens I sent Sir Roderick Murchison from Stone Gun Quarry, near Thurso, "were 4 or 5 inches over and as many feet in length." One large piece subsequently sent was more than 12 inches over and at least 24 feet in length. In all these I saw woody structure, and, I believe, coniferous. Some of them may prove to be like the one figured in the "Footprints of the Creator," p. 194. This has since been examined by Dr R. W. M'Nab, and named by him Paleopitys Milleri in the "Transactions of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh," vol. x. pt. 2, p. 312. In the same paper Dr M'Nab says, there can be no doubt whatever that the specimen is from the Old Red Sandstone formation," and from an examination of a large series of lignites from the north of Scotland, in the collection of Mr C. W. Peach, they do not appear to be uncommon in that formation." Sigillaria, "probably the bark of," so says Dawson; it is a nice specimen; I got it from the fine Red Sandstones at lowest tides near John o' Groat's house. Stigmaria.-A small piece, but evidently a portion of a fine specimen, showing the areoles well. Fragments of others, from the pale sandstone near Freswick Castle, Caithness. Calamites transitionis, Goept.-Rather rare; from the flag quarries belonging to the Earl of Caithness, Barrogill. Occasionally small pieces of a larger species are met with. Calamites, sp.-Large pieces are met with in the sandstone, quarries near Lerwick, Shetland, generally obscure; occasionally some well-marked bits with large ribs occur there, known as " Corderoy;" and in the sandstone quarries of Bressay, very rarely in the clay flagstone on that island, and at Mey Quarries, Caithness. Anarthrocanna, sp.-A beautiful specimen from the Limestone at Wick Head. The leaves of great length. Although many fine specimens of fishes were met with in this Limestone, it is the only plant, with the exception of five or six fragments, I got in the twelve years I so closely examined that spot. Pinnularia. From the Sandstone at Freswick-very rare. Lepidodendron nothum of Salter, not of Unger.-Dawson says, 'this specimen is nearly allied to his L. Gaspianum." It is far from rare in many localities in Caithness; Baligill, Sutherlandshire; near Stromness, in Orkney, very fine; and in several localities in Shetland. Some of the specimens had masses of long flat rootlets attached; these, when found loose, have no doubt been considered Fucoids. Lepidodendron, sp.-Holburn Head, near Thurso, and Baligill, Sutherlandshire. Rather rare. Psilophyton princeps, Dawson.-Very fine; from the island of Stroma in the Pentland Firth, and from Murkle Bay, Castlehill, Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society" for August 1859, p. 406. * See " Stone Gun Quarry, &c., Caithness. Structure is well shown in these large fine specimens. Psilophyton, sp.-" Allied to P. robustices, but probably distinct," so says Dawson. It is not rare, and occurs in several localities in Caithness, Orkney, Shetland, and Turin Hill Quarry, near Forfar. Psilophyton is the plant of the Old Red Sandstone in all the places mentioned. In Forfarshire it is abundant, and has generally there many masses of Parka decipiens, of Fleming attached to the stems. These are no doubt the egg packets of the large crustacea, Pterygotus, &c., found in the rocks there and in other parts of Scotland. Dawson says, when noticing my Psilophyton at page 77 of his "Pre-carboniferous Fossils of Canada," "None of the specimens show fructification." I, however, had obtained "fruit" at Kilmster years before he saw my collection, on specimens from Kilmster I sent to Sir Roderick Murchison, and have now a drawing I made of it before sending. At that time very little was known of Psilophyton, and nothing of the fruit. To Principal Dawson all the merit for the naming and discovery is due. When Mr Salter examined my plants, so little was known of the flora of the British Old Red Sandstone that no doubt the fructification escaped his notice. I have since that got at Harland, near Wick, and Freswick, in Caithness, two or three more specimens of fruit. They are very rare and rather obscure. Cyclostigma, sp.-Principal Dawson also noticed in my collection a specimen "obviously of the same type as his Cyclostigma densifolium from Gaspe, and with the branchlets of Cyclostigma from Kiltorcan, in Ireland." My specimens are from Kilmster and Harland, near Wick, Caithness, in calmy flags and sandstone. Rather rare and very fragmentary. These specimens were sent to Sir R. Murchison when first found. Cyclopteris, sp.-Professor Dawson also noticed "a Cyclopteris of the type of C. Brownii." I met with it in calmy red beds amongst the sandstones near John o' Groat's House, shown only at the lowest spring-tides. It is in a beautiful state of preservation, and well shows the dichotomous nerves. At Turin Quarry, near Forfar, the same kind of Cyclopteris occurs, also well marked and in a beautiful state of preservation. It occurred in the calmstone there, with Psilophyton stems in abundance; these as opaque objects show the structure well. I have also a Cyclopteris very much like C. Jacksoni of Dawson, shown in Plate XV. fig. 167b, page 45, of the "Devonian Plants of Canada." Caulopteris Peachii, Salter.-This very fine form was first found by Mr J. Budge of Thurso, in the Weydale Quarry near that place, and sent by him to the Museum of Science and Art at Edinburgh. Mine were placed in the Jermyn Street Museum, |