Page:Transactions of the Geological Society, 1st series, vol. 3.djvu/13

 over a high ridge to Sconser, where it ends at in Loch Sligachan, being bounded on its western side by the terminations of the before mentioned group of mountains. The high hill forming the island of Scalpa is but barely separated by a narrow arm of the sea from this tract. An imaginary boundary drawn from Strath to the head of Loch Slapin on one side, and from Sconser to the western Loch Eynort on the other, includes part of the district of Minginish, and is still more remarkable as a physical division, since it contains the lofty and formidable group of the Cuchullin hills, with other mountains, of which the greater number are either nameless, or only recorded in the traditional geography of shepherds. This is the only part of Sky which can properly be called mountainous, and of which the aspect and character are perfectly distinct from those of the remainder of the island. The small district of Strathaird, more remarkable for its physical structure than its extent, is interposed to the south of this tract, lying between Loch Slapin and Loch Scavig. The northern and larger division of the island which exhibits a great uniformity of physical character considerably distinct from those now enumerated, contains the extensive districts of Trotternish, Vaternish and Bracadale, the former occupying the eastern and the two latter the western side of the island.

The whole of this tract is hilly and uneven, yet cannot be considered as mountainous, except perhaps on its eastern side, where one irregularly elevated and continuous ridge extends from Portree to Ruhunish. Some high ground also occurs about Dunvegan, but the rest is an undulating tract of hill and moor country.

The indentations which form the sea lochs are in some cases determined as on the continental land, by the vallies which are interposed between ridges of hills, and in this case they are also the estuaries of the rivers. But many of them are merely sinuosities of the