CQUXTIES OF ROSS AND CROMARTY. 195 



heather mixed with green grass ; while on the flat there is a good 

 deal of wet marshy land, with here and there a heautiful green 

 plain, seemingly formed by soil w^ashed from the mountain sides 

 by the rocky torrents that stream into the Meag in such large 

 numbers. Glennaig is on the property of Sir Ivor B. Guest, 

 Bart., of Auchnashellach, and is leased by Mr James Gordon, 

 Udale, who also holds the extensive farms of Corrywick, 

 Camashie, and Glenmeanie, on the estate of Strathconan, and 

 situated further down the course of the Meag. Glenmeanie 

 extends to between 4000 and 5000 acres, and consists of a long 

 narrow glen, with steep rocky hills on either side and level in 

 the bottom ; and on the farm generally the pasture is fair, a large 

 extent being green and partially mixed with heather. The wind 

 blows very fiercely through this narrow trough-shaped glen in 

 winter, and to save the sheep from being blown up by the 

 drifting snow, and to afford them shelter, circular walls about 6 

 feet high, called " rounds," or " sheep stells/' are erected. 

 Glennaisc extends to about 10,000 acres and Camashie to about 

 7000, and Corrywick to upwards of 5000 acres. The latter two 

 together are rented atL.400, Glennaig at L.375, and Glenmeanie 

 at L.300. The best of the pasture land on Glenmeanie is under 

 Cheviot ewes, and the more inferior parts under Black-faced 

 ewes, but Mr Gordon intends increasing his Black-faced 

 stock considerably. Cheviot tups are put to the Cheviot ewes, 

 and Leicester tups to the Black-faced ewes about the 24th of 

 !N"ovember, and left among them till the end of December, when 

 they are brought back to Udale, the weakest of the Cheviot 

 ewes being drafted out and brought along with the tups, or sent 

 to the arable patches (extending to about 100 acres) on the lower 

 parts of the glen. Lambing commences about the 20th of April, 

 and the lambs are allowed to suckle till about the end of August. 

 The Cheviot wether lambs are sent to a higher farm to be kept 

 for two years, being taken down every year for wintering in the 

 low country about the 1st of October, and sent back to Glennaig 

 about the 1st of April. Camashie is wild and heathy, and here 

 Black-faced ew^es only are kept. Corrywick, thougli surrounded 

 with huge rocky hills, in recesses of which snow lies almost 

 throughout the whole year, has pasture richer and better 

 mixed with green grass, and on the lower and north side of this 

 farm Black-faced ewes are kept, and from these and Leicester 

 tups a superior class of grey-faced lambs are reared ; while on 

 the otlier parts of Corrywick grey-faced lambs, one-year-okls of 

 the same cknss, and two year old Cheviot wethers are grazed. The 

 grey-faced two-year-olds are either taken down to the low parts 

 of the county to be fed off by the end of February or beginning 

 of March, or sold off in store condition about the middle of 

 September. The Cheviot wethers here, as generally over the 



