This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1880 edition. Excerpt: ...westerly direction. On the opposite side of Garsdale is the hill called Rysell, 1,823 feet above.the sea level, on the top of which ice scratches are discernible, with a westerly or south-westerly direction. Eastwards from Rysell, and separated from it by a broad valley, ice scratches have been observed on the upper surface of Widdale Fells, at a height of 2,000 feet, pointing in a similar direction to those on Rysell. These cases appear to indicate that the glacier passed over the tops of these hills in a westerly direction. Whilst the upper part of the glacier pursued the direction of least resistance in a westerly or south-westerly direction, the lower part of this great mass of ice was probably diverted from this path by the enveloped hills. The species of under-current thus formed will in a great measure account for the numerous instances in which the striae are found on the high grounds pointing in one direction, whilst on the hill-sides and in the valley they have often a different course--usually somewhat parallel to the direction of the valley. The glacier, proceeding down the Valley of the Rawthey, being joined by the one from Garsdale, the principal mass passed round the northern part of Middleton Fell, opposite GLACIAL SCRATCHES ON WHERNSIPE. 199 Sedbergh, the rest being in all probability detached and taking a south-easterly course down Dentdale. Looking at the corner of Middleton Fell from a distance, evidences of glaciation on a large scale are very distinct. The Silurian Rocks of which the fell is composed consist of alternations of shale and gritstone, which under ordinary circumstances tend to weather into terraces following the line of the beds. The terraces here are furrowed by a great number of roughly parallel ruts, ..