144 Account of Harris. 



tile at its northern end, heathy and covered with peat at the 

 southern. To the north of this island, and separated by a nar- 

 row and most rapid and boisterous channel, is the island of En- 

 say, which is perhaps the finest of its size in the Outer Hebrides, 

 being covered with a beautiful vegetation, and for the greater 

 part cultivated. To the eastward of these larger islands lie a 

 multitude of smaller, which, extending from the mainland of 

 Harris to the immediate vicinity of North Uist, present, from 

 their number and diversified appearance as to size and form, one 

 of the most singular scenes that occurs on any part of our coasts. 



Hydrography. — The ocean exhibits no other appearances 

 than such as are common to the west coast of Scotland in gene- 

 ral. From the prodigious swell that follows a western gale in 

 winter, to the glassy smoothness of a summer sea, there are 

 many varieties of surface operated, but these require no parti- 

 cular notice. The bottom of the sea is generally sandy along 

 the west coast, and in the sound ; in some parts sandy, in others 

 muddy or gravelly on the eastern coast, with numerous sunk 

 rocks, reefs, and shoals. The water is always clear, even after 

 a storm. The bottom may be seen to a great depth, and where 

 it is sandy, it is pleasant to look down and watch the motions of 

 the great shoals of sandeels, cuddies (AmmodytesTobianus and the 

 fry of Gadus carbonarius) and other fishes, or from an elevation 

 near the beaches to observe the mergansers, shags, divers, and 

 other aquatic birds pursuing them under the water, with almost 

 incredible velocity, and using the same motions as if flying in the 

 air, only that the feet as well as the wings are called into action. 

 In the sound the currents are extremely rapid, and at spring- 

 tides, when they have to contend with a contrary gale, rise into 

 short and jumbling waves, highly dangerous to boats. A most 

 violent agitation of this kind is also produced when a great 

 swell rolls in from the west meeting the stream of ebb. I need 

 scarcely mention that in the sound, the flood passes eastward 

 into the Minch, and the ebb westward into the ocean. In au- 

 tumn the sea swarms with Medusae of various species, some of 

 enormous size. Some of these emit at night a beautiful pale 

 light resembling an electrical flash, seeming to permeate, or be 

 emitted by, their whole substance. The usual sparkling lumi- 



3 I 



