ftrata in this part of the river lie flat or horizontal, and in fome places thefe flat-lying ftrata dip a little towards the fouth-eaft, and in other places towards the north-east. This diverfity and oppofition of dip or declivity is occafioned by the waving of the ftrata up and down, which is a very common incident where the ftrata lie very flat, or nearly level with the horizon. There is to be feen in a quarry about a quarter of a mile above Roflin, and also near Auchindinny, upon the north fide of the river, a regular continuous feam of coal, only about one, or one and a half inch thick, with very ftrong thick beds of poft stone above it; and I know that there are feveral thick feams of coal both above and below this thin one, fome of which are now working. There are alfo a variety of ftrata lying in various pofitions between Auchindinny and Pennycuick. About two hundred yards above Auchindinny bridge, in the bed of the river, we fee the vertical and the horizontal ftrata in the fame place, the edge metals occupying the north, and the flat ones the fouth fide of the bed of the river. This fpot deferves the examination of the curious, as it determines the place and manner of their coming in contact in this part of the country. Some of the foundations of the cotton mill at Pennycuick, and of the water courfes, are cut pretty deep in horizontal coal metals, where they have cut through one regular feam or ftratum of coal, about twelve or fourteen inches thick, which is to be feen betwixt the east end of the highest building and the bed of the river. There are a variety of inftructive particulars relating to this subject in the lands of Pennycuick, between the village of Pennycuick and the lands of Newhall; and there are various fections of the flat, and likewife of the edge.coal metals in the river, and in the rivulets in the lands of Newhall and Carlops. The horizontal coal ftrata lie fo very flat in this place, and efpecially in the farm of Carlops, that the coal feams frequently wave up and down, which occafions feveral gentlyfwelling ridges and troughs, or elevations and depreffions, of the horizontal stretch of the coal and the other strata. This incident is known with certainty, as fome of the flat coals have been worked in that farm, where the strata were found thus waving up and down. It is remarkable, that both the edge and the flat coals, with their feveral concomitant ftrata, preserve their parallelifm, and the true line of bearing from the fea, until they reach the lands of Carlops, and there the true line of bearing of the coal metals ends, and they turn away almoft in a right angle towards the fouth-eaft, inftead of the south-west direction, which was the former line of bearing from the fea to this place. The edge-coal, and all its concomitant ftrata, appear, and really are in the utmost diforder and confufion extremity of the true line of bearing imaginable, when they arrive at the in the lands of Carlops, and they are dwindled away almoft to nothing, the thickeft of the feams of coal be ing hardly fo many inches as they fhould be feet thick. This diforder and diminution is occafioned by this being the out-skirts of the coal-field; and this confufion of the ftrata is to be feen diftin&tly in the banks of the river below the bridge of Carlops. 'There are abundance of horizontal ftrata to be seen in the bed of the river South Efk, upon the east and fouth fide of the town of Dalkeith, Kk 2 betwixt betwixt the Duke of Buccleugh's and the Marquis of Lothian's parks. Thofe ftrata flope with various degrees of declivity towards the northweft, and in fome places they dip towards the north, and in other places towards the west. There is also a variety of horizontal ftrata, and confiderable fections of them upon both fides of this river, between Newbattle and Dalhoufie; and about a quarter of a mile below Dalhousie bridge, there are fome irregular difcontinuous imperfect feams of coal. The difcontinuity of fome irregular beds of coal is an incident which is frequently met with. Many rocks and ftrata are to be feen in the main branch of the river between Dalhoufie and Temple, allof them lying in a horizontal pofition, with various degrees of declivity. The neighbourhood of Temple is one of the happiest walks imaginable for the ftudent of the ftrata of coal. He will there meet with various fections of feans of coal, and of their concomitant ftrata, appearing fair and regular. It is but rarely that we meet with a more complete and regular fection of the ftrata of coal than the one to be feen clofe by the Temple mill, and not much above a hundred yards below the church. This is a fair and clean horizontal fection, cut nearly perpendicular, and pretty high. in which there are at leatt four different feams of coal distinctly feen dipping a very little towards the N. N. E. The ftrata in the neigbour hood of Temple lie remarkably flat. About a mile above Temple church, the fouth branch of the river runs upon the face of a hard firatum of rock for more than a hundred yards in our fight, as upon a smooth pavement, and we fee it running upon the face of the fame ftone below the church. There are feveral feams of coal to be seen in this branch of the river above Temple church, dipping moflly north, though fometimes the declivity chan ges, and the ftrata are found to dip towards the N. W. and alfo towards the N. E. This variety of declivity is commonly met with among horizontal ftrata, especially thofe of the coal metals. It is occafioned by the waving and wheeling of the horizontal ftrata. The north branch of this river is well worth the infpection of the cu rious. About a hundred yards above the bridge, two pretty thick feam's of coal appear, and there are various fections of the coals and coal metals to be feen in feveral places for mote than two miles up the river, fome of which have been and are now working. The Salisbury Craigs, near Edinburgh, are well worth the examination of the mineral ftudent. The thick bed of rock at Salisbury Craigs, which was quarried fome time ago, is a stratum of bafaltes, which is easily known by examining the quality of the stone; and the fact may be farther evinced by tracing the ftratum to the fouth fide of Arthur's Seat, where the fame individual bed of ftone will be found regularly formed into columnar bafaltes; the columns are diftinct, and of confiderable length and magnitude. When the examiner has made himfelf mafter of the ftretch, bearing, and declivity of this particular ftratum, he may then proceed to inveftigate the reft of the strata of Arthur's Seat, which is not an eafy task for a beginner, the whole hill being chiefly compofed of different irregular thick ftrata of bafaltine rocks, which vary in thickness confiderably in different places; a circumftance common to bafaltes; and, therefore, on account of the difficulty of inveftigation, I would not advise the mineral ftudent to begin a furvey of the ftrata of this mountain, until he is pretty well advanced in the knowledge of the na tural history of ftrata in general. When When he comes to examine thefe rocks, he will observe, that the whole hill is not entirely compofed of bafaltes. There are alfo thin ftrata of various fpecies to be found among thofe rocks. For inftance, feveral beds of free-ftone have been quarried deep down upon the fouth fide of Salibury Craigs; and there are regular thin ftrata of several kinds to be seen immediately above and below the thick ftratum of rock which is properly called Salisbury Craigs. There is a pretty good fection of various thin ftrata upon the fouth fide of the Water of Leith, imme diately below the mills, and there are a great number of thin ftrata to be feen in the bed of the river, all the way down below the Mineral Well. Thefe ftrata appear pretty fair and regular, dipping with an eafy flope towards the N. W. or W. N. W. but the circumstance which is beft worth the infpection of the ftudent in this place, is a couple of whin dykes which cut the strata afunder. Thefe two dykes are to be feen in the bed of the river, one of them near the Mineral Well, and the other a little higher up. They run quite across the river, almost at right angles; and thefe dykes, or ridges of ftone, are the more remarkable, that these fort of troubles or interruptions of the regularity of the ftrata, are but feldom met with in the Lothians, though common enough in other places. But although whin dykes are not fo commonly found in the Lothian coalleries as they are in fome other coal fields, yet the Lothians are not exempted from them. A large whin dyke paffes through the coals, &c. a little below Niddiy, where it croffes almoft at right angles to the bearing of the ftrata. Another, ftill larger, is to be seen emerging out of the fea at Cockenzie, where it forms the north fide of the little harbour, and then runs end-ways through the country. And, in like manner, fe veral other very large whin dykes are to be feen as you go farther to the N. E. along the fhore, fome of which form confiderable ridges of rock as they pafs through the country, which appear in many places high above the furface of the ground; and all of them are diftinctly feen to cut thro the coal metals in a line nearly right across the bearing of the ftrata. It may not be improper, however, to remark, that there is one circumftance appertaining to the two whin dykes in the Water of Leith, that is not common to every one of the kind, which is, that each of these two is both a dyke and a flip; that is, the ftrata, which are cut afunder by the dyke, are not here found upon the fame level on both fides of the dyke, which happens in moft (though not in all) others of the fame kind. Thefe dykes, which throw the ftrata off the ordinary level, may properly enough be called flip-dykes. further up in the river Leith, about There are a great variety of ftrata Slateford, Collington, Currie, and still farther up, and fome pretty good fections. There are various fections of the ftrata to be feen upon the banks and There are good fections of the ftrata in the branch of that river, which runs upon the fouth fide of Calder, above the bridge, and especially above the houfe of Calderhall, and ftill farther up towards the moors. About half a mile below the fouth bridge of Calder, there croffes the river a thick ftratum of coarfe limestone, which contains fome lead ore in grains and flowers, blended in the compofition of the tone; but it does not appear in fuch quantity as to be worth working. A A confiderable variety of strata are to be seen in the north branches of the river Almond, above Calder, and among them feveral coals, fome of which have been worked; and there, are fome pretty good fections of evals, and their concomitant strata, in the branch of that river called Breich. There is a fine fection of two feams of coal, and of the ftrata accompany ing them, to be seen in the free-stone quarry upon the east side of the river near Cranston. On the Characteristic Diftinctions of the Flight of Birds *. "Omnibus animalibus reliquis certus et uniufmodi, et in fuo cuique genere in* ceffus eft aves folæ vario meatu feruntur, et in terra, et in aere." PLIN. Hift. Nat. lib. x. cap. 38. A GOOD ornithologift fhould be able to diftinguish birds by their air, as well as by their colours and shape; on the ground as well as on the wing, and in the bush as well as in the hand. For, though it muft not be faid that every fpecies of birds has a manner peculiar to itfelf, yet there is fomewhat in moft genera at leaft, that at first fight difcriminates them, and enables a judicious obferver to pronounce upon them with fome certainty. Put a bird in mo Thus kites and buzzards fail round in circles with wings expanded and motionlefs; and it is from their gliding manner that the former are ftill called in the north of England Gleads, from the Saxon verb glidan, to glide. The keftrel, or wind hover, has a peculiar mode of hanging in the air in one place, his wings all the while being brifkly agitated. Hen-harriers fly low over heaths or fields of corn, and beat the ground regularly like a pointer or fetting-dog. Owls move in a buoyant manner, as if lighter in the air; they feem to want ballaft. There is a peculiarity belonging to ravens that muft draw the attenion even of the most incurious; they - a fpend all their leifure time in ftriking and cuffing each other on the wing in kind of playful fkirmish; and, when they move from one place to another, frequently turn on their backs with a loud croak, and feem to be falling to When this odd gefture the ground. betides them, they are fcratching themfelves with one foot, and thus lofe the center of gravity. Rooks fometimes dive and tumble in a frolickfome manner; crows and daws fwagger in their walk; wood-peckers fly volatu undofo, opening and clofing their wings at every stroke, and fo are always rifing or falling in curves. All of this genus ufe their tails, which incline downward, as a fupport while they run up trees. Parrots, like all other hooked-clawed birds, walk aukwardly, and make use of their bill as a third foot, climbing and descending with ridiculous caution. All the gal line parade and walk gracefully, and run nimbly; but fly with difficulty, with an impetuous whirring, and in a ftraight line. Magpies and jays flutter with powerlefs wings, and make no difpatch; herons feem incumbered with too much fail for their light. bodies; but these vaft hollow wings are neceffary in carrying burdens, fuch as large fishes, and the like; pigeons, and particularly the fort called fmitters, have a way of clafhing their wings the one against the other over their backs with a loud fnap; another variety called tumblers turn them From White's Natural Hiftory of Selborne. felves felves over in the air. Some birds have movements peculiar to the feafon of love: thus ring-doves, though ftrong and rapid at other times, yet, in the fpring, hang about on the wing in a toying and playful manner; thus the cock-fnipe, while breeding, for getting his former flight, fans the air like the wind-hover; and the greenfinch in particular exhibits fuch languishing and faultering geftures as to appear like a wounded and dying bird; the king-fifher darts along like an arrow; fern-owls, or goat-fuckers, glance in the dusk over the tops of trees like a meteor; ftarlings as it were fwim along, while miffel-thrushes ufe a wild and defultory flight; fwallows fweep over the furface of the ground and water, and distinguish themfelves by rapid turns and quick evolutions; fwifts dafh round in circles; and the bank martin moves with frequent vacillations like a butterfly. Most of the fmall birds fly by jerks, rifing and falling as they adMoft fmall birds hop; but vance. wagtails and larks walk, moving their legs alternately. Skylarks rife and fall perpendicularly as they fing; woodlarks hang poifed in the air; and titlarks rife and fall in large curves finging in their defcent. The white-throat uses odd jerks and gefticulations over the tops of hedges and bushes. All the duck kind waddle; divers and auks walk as if fettered, and ftand erect on their tails: these are the compedes of Linnæus. Geefe and cranes, and moft wild fowls, move in figured flights, often changing their pofition. The fecondary remiges of Tringe, wild-ducks, and fome others, are very long, and give their wings, when in motion, an hooked appearance. Dab-chicks, moor-hens, and coots, fly erect, with their legs hanging down, and hardly make any dif patch; the reafon is plain, their wings are placed too forward out of the true center of gravity; as the legs of auks and divers are fituated too backward. t FR Obfervations on the ROM the motion of birds, the tranfition is natural enough to their notes and language, of which I fhall fay fomething. Not that I would pretend to underftand their language like the vizier; who, by the recital of a converfation which paffed between two owls, reclaimed a fultan, before delighting in conqueft and devaflation; but I would be thought only to mean that many of the winged tribes have various founds and voices adapted to exprefs their various paffions, wants, and feelings; fuch as anger, fear, love, hatred, hunger, and the like. All fpecies are not equally eloquent; fome are copious and fluent as it were in their utterance, while others are confined to a few im Notes of Birds *. portant founds; no bird, like the fish kind, is quite mute, though fome are rather filent. The language of birds is very ancient, and, like other ancient modes of fpecch, very elliptical; little is faid, but much is meant and understood. The notes of the eagle-kind are fhrill and piercing; and about the feafon of nidification much diverfified, as I have been often affured by a curious obferver of Nature, who long refided at Gibraltar, where eagles abound. The notes of our hawks much refemble thofe of the king of birds. Owls have very expreffive notes; they hoot in a fine vocal found, much refembling the vox bumana, and reducible by a pitch-pipe. * From the fame, to |