OF SCOTLAND.

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ferous tissue,—cones of unique structure,—a well-markedfrond of Zamia of an undescribed species,—numerous am-monites in a fine state of preservation,—and one of the com-pletest sets of Liasic belemnites yet collected. What hasbeen deemed corresponding deposits, which, however, I amdisposed to refer to a higher horizon, occur in the neighbour-hood of the northern Sutor; and near the base of one of these,at Caanrie, there is a seam of coal or lignite very much re-sembling that of Brora, and flanked by a bed of fresh-watershells and Perna,—the last identical in species, so far as Ihave been able to determine the point, with that of the Pernabed described by the late Mr Bobertson of Woodside as flank-ing the Brora seam. Above the coal there occurs a rubblystratum, also like one at Brora, charged with vast numbersof the Belemnite sulcatus; and in an upper stratum I founda well-marked specimen of Ammonites perarmatus ; likewisea species of the Brora coal-field. In short, I am disposed tohold,—both from the identity of many of its fossils, and itsgeneral appearance,—that this supposed Liasic deposit is inreality an Oolitic one, and that its coal occupies a horizon notmuch removed from that of the coal at Brora. I may heremention, that the Lias of Eathie was the scene, only twoyears ago, of a disastrous coal-boring speculation, on whichmuch good money was expended. The unlucky speculator,—an industrious and respectable man, whom I would fainhave dissuaded from an undertaking so hopeless, but who, ashe had no faith in geology, simply thanked me for my ad-vice, and wrought on,—dug a wide pit in the Liasic shales,to the depth of more than a hundred feet, and found in abun-dance ammonites and belemnites, with a few well-preservedvertebral joints of Ichthyosaurus, and unfortunately here andthere fragments of cone-bearing trees, with their trunks con-verted into jet, but, of course, no coaL The hole was madelarge and deep enough to prove the sepulchre of several hun-