294 Foriiiation and Flora of a Shingle Island. [Sess. 



The Shingle Island. — As already mentioned, the shingle 

 island formerly consisted of two portions ; and a well-marked 

 channel can still be easily seen, where a stream rushes through 

 in flood time.^ (See Map III.) 



At ordinary times the island is now one long continuous 

 bank, 350 yards long, with a maximum width of 85 yards; 

 but it is roughly divided into three distinct areas, as 

 follows : — 



(1) The large main body of shingle, which forms the 

 eastern half of the island. This rises gradually from east 

 to west till it reaches a height of six feet, when it ends 

 abruptly with a drop of two or three feet to the low-lying 

 western half. Much shingle has been deposited lately on 

 this bank, and it is only within the last two years that it 

 has reached its present high level.^ 



(2) The south-western part — another well-defined body of 

 shingle, but smaller, and lying at a lower level. These two 

 parts, the eastern and south-western, are practically mere 

 barren stretches of stones, with here and there a small bush 

 and a few scattered plants, to be noted later. The stones are 

 well-rounded pebbles of all sizes up to six inches long, but 

 mostly not more than four inches ; nearly all are fragments 

 of a micaceous schist or quartzite ; but a few are quartz or 

 granite. The larger stones lie on the surface, and underneath 

 are smaller stones and coarse grit. 



(3) The north-western part, which is quite different in 

 character. It consists of low - lying shingle, covered with 

 drifts of pure sand a foot or more deep ; and the greater 

 part of it is thickly covered with vegetation, — a noticeable 

 feature being a hundred or so very tiny bushes. It is rather 

 difficult to understand how this part of the island assumed 

 its present form. The river formerly deposited shingle here, 

 but afterwards carried it away again. A crofter friend of ours, 

 who has lived on the spot for many years, and has watched 

 with interest the changes in the river, made two suggestions 



^ The southern branch of the channel is purely natural, but the northern one 

 has been used as a cart-track. Here the sand has been loosened by the carts 

 passing over, and then scoured out by the flood-water ; so that this part of the 

 channel is now deeper than it was originally. 



- Several years ago shingle was carted away from this large eastern bank for 

 road-making. 



