INTRODUCTION. Of the total number of British earthquakes listed by Dr. C. Davison, 310 originated in England, 822 in Scotland, and 54 in Wales, another 4 being of unknown origin.1 The great pre-ponderance of Scotland in British earthquakes may be illustrated in another way; for every 100 earthquakes felt within a given area in England, 452 are felt in Scotland, and 120 in Wales. Scotland’s pre-eminence in this respect must be attributed to its more complicated geological structure and tectonic history. The country is seamed with the faults and dislocations of many geological periods, and it comprises that part of the British Isles in which the incidence of the last great igneous episode (Kainozoic) was most severe and most widely distributed. Dr. Davison states that the number of well-defined earthquake centres in Scotland is 28, as against 57 in England, the average number of earthquakes per centre being 28.4 in Scotland, and only 3.8 in England. This large average for Scotland is chiefly due to the remarkable long-continued series of earthquakes in the Comrie, Menstrie, and Invergarry districts. But even if these be deducted the Scottish average (4.9) is still higher than that for England. The average area of disturbance is, however, much smaller in Scotland than in England, as the following table, compiled from figures given by Dr. Davison, shows:— The explanation of this inequality, according to Dr. Davison, is that the seismic foci are situated at a smaller depth in Scotland than in England. Scottish earthquakes can be This 250-word extract was created in the absence of an abstract In conclusion I should like to express my warmest thanks to those ladies and gentlemen from all over Scotland who, in response to appeals published in the Glasgow Herald, Scotsman, and other Scottish newspapers, assisted this investigation by sending me accounts of their experiences. In the great majority of cases these descriptions were couched in vivid and well-chosen language which has, in my opinion, distinctly added to the descriptive phrases of seismology. I must also acknowledge the assistance I have received from Dr. N. H. Kolderup of Bergen in dealing with the Norwegian side of the North Sea Earthquake, and in communicating to me so freely his microseismological evidence.[1][1] I am indebted to Dr. F. J. Whipple, Superintendent of Kew Observatory, for the Kew seismogram of the North Sea Earthquake; and to Prof. R. A. Sampson, F.R.S., of the Royal Observatory, Edinburgh, for the Edinburgh seismogram. I have also to acknowledge help received from Lloyd’s, the Hydrographic Dept. of the Admiralty, the Northern Lighthouses Board, and the Scottish Meteorological Office. [1]: #fn-2