Again,  if  you  examine  the  Map  of  Scot-
land (line  5)  you  will  find  a  broad  band
of  Old  red  sandstone  running  from  Stone-
haven  on  the  east  coast  to  Dumbarton  on
the  west,  and  there  also  masses  of  con-
glomerate lie  at  the  base  as  in  No.  2,
fig.  5.  Overlooking  this  broad  band,  the
gneissose  mountains  No.  1  rise  high  into
the  air;  still  reminding  the  beholder  of
that  ancient  line  of  coast,  against  which
the  waves  of  the  Old  red  sandstone  period
beat,  and  from  its  partial  waste  formed
that  boulder-beach  that  now  makes  the
conglomerates.  We  are  thus  justified  in
coming  to  the  conclusion  that  the  North
Highlands  generally,  formed  land  before
the  time  of  the  Old  red  sandstone,  the
Grampian  mountains  as  a  special  range
forming  a  long  line  running  from  north-east


44  Old  Red  Sandstone  and

to  south-west,  the  bases  of  its  hills  having  been  washed
by  the  waters  which  deposited  the  Old  red  sandstone
itself.
If  you  again  examine  the  map  you  will  find  that
a  vast  tract  of  country,  forming  half  the  Lowlands,
stretches  right  across  Scotland  from  north-east  to  south-
west, including  the  Firths  of  Tay  and  Forth,  and  all
the  southern  and  eastern  shores  of  the  Firth  of  Clyde.
