494 



SKUPSHTINA 



SKYROS 



Skuush tina (often spelt Slcuptthiiui), the 

 national assembly of the Servians. See SEKVIA. 



Sky. See ATMOSPHERE, CLOUDS, DUST, and 

 METEOROLOGY. 



Skye. an island of Inverness-shire, the second 

 largest of the Hebrides, is separated from the main- 

 land by a channel >, mile wide at the narrowest, Kyle 

 Ithea. It-, extreme length, south-south-eastward, 

 is 49 miles ; and ite breadth varies from 7 to 25 

 miles ; but on account of the extraordinary number 

 of inlets at all part- of the island no point i- alxive 

 4 miles from the sea. Area, 643 so,, m. ; pop. ( 1841 ) 

 23,082; ( 1861 ) 18,908; ( 1881 ) 16,889; ( 1891 ) 15,700. 

 Skye is for the most part mountainous and moory, 

 but it contains some pleasant tracts of arable and 

 pasture land, and one considerable plain, formerly 

 the lied of a lake, in the parish of Kilniim, where 

 some mins of a religious house called after St 

 Col u m ha were found. The rocks are mainly vol- 

 canic of Tertiary age ; and the principal mountains 

 are the Coolin Hills (not Cuclmllin), which stretch 

 irregularly from south-west to north-east, terminat- 

 ing in the sharp peak of Sgurr-nan-Gillean (3167 

 feet) above Sligachan. AnotTier peak, Sgurr Dearg, 

 has been found to be the highest of the range ( 3234 

 feet), but Sgurr-nan-Gillean will still be regarded 

 as the chief of the Coolin Hills. The serrated out- 

 line of these hills arrests the eye at a great dis- 

 tance, and forms the dominant feature in the view 

 at almost every point round the island, and far out 

 at sea. The most famous scene in this region is 

 Coruisk (1J x I mile), the 'stern, dread lake ' of 

 Scott's Lord of the Isles. Glen Sligachan, ascend- 

 in;,' 5J miles from the head of Loch Sligachan, 

 is by many considered the grandest glen in the 

 Highlands. The fantastic Quiraing (1779 feet) 

 and the Storr (2360), in the north of the island, 

 offer splendid scenery, as also do many points along 

 the coast here columnar basalt formations on a 

 grand scale, and there cliffs 1000 feet high, over 

 which leap many waterfalls, and whose bases are 

 frequently worn into deep caves, some of them of 

 historical interest. One, near Portree, afforded a 

 refuge to Prince Charles Edward ; another, on the 

 west coast, was the temporary prison of Lady 

 Grange. The largest arms of the sea are Lochs 

 Bracadale, Dunvegan, and Snizort. 



The coasts abound in fish, the most important 

 being herring, salmon, cod, and ling ; In-side.- 

 oysters are found in several places. The cod and 

 line fishery is chietly confined to Lochs Dunvegan 

 ami Snizort. There are no rivers of any magni- 

 tude ; but salmon and sea-trout are got in some of 

 the principal streams, and trout in most of the 

 fresh-water lochs. Deer are not numerous, nor 

 grouse. West Highland cattle are reared to a 

 considerable extent, but sheep farming on a large 

 scale predominates. The rainfall averages 65 

 indies, but the climate is mild and healthy. Agri- 

 culture in Skye, being comparatively unprofitable, 

 owing to the moisture of the climate, is falling into 

 entire neglect on some of the chief sheep-farms. 

 The soil, however, is in many places excellent, and 

 capable, in dry seasons, of yielding good cereal 

 crops, while for turnips it is peculiarly suited. 



The inhabitants are for the most part poor and 

 ill-housed, but well-l>ehaved and intelligent. At 

 one time they contributed largely to the British 

 army not less than 10,000 private soldiers, it has 

 l>een calculated, during the long war with France, 

 The number of soldiers now sent from Skye is very 

 small. In the districts where the men practise 

 fishing nearly the whole of the adult males go to 

 the cast coast fisheries in summer, while from all 

 parts of the island young men and women go to the 

 south in search of field lalmnr. Potatoes and fish 

 are the general diet, meat being a rare luxury. 



The population is chiefly Celtic, with, however,* 

 considerable Norse admixture. Gaelic i- still uni- 

 versally spoken, but is gradually giving place to 

 English. The chief proprietors are still, as of old, 

 Lord Macdonald, whose seat, Armadale Castle in 

 Sh-at, is one of the most beautiful in all it- siu- 

 roundings to lie seen on the Scottish coasts, ami 

 MacLeod of MacLeod, in whose ancient ca.-tle of 

 Dnnvegan, perched on a headland, I>r .lohnson 

 ' lasted lotus ' ( 1773) and Scott slept in the Fairy 

 Room' (1814). The principal port of Skye i 

 I'ortree, a picturesquely situated village of :.".<> 

 inhabitants, to which steamers regularly ply from 

 <;la-gow, and also from Stronie Ferry, in connec- 

 tion with the Sk\e Kailway thence to Inverness. 

 Other villages, also calling-point* of the steam 

 are Kylcakin ('Hakon's strait'), Broadford, and 

 Dunvegan. The celebrated whiskv generally known 

 as 'Talisker 1 is made at the distillery of CaraUtst, 

 at the head of Loch Bracadale. The inhabitants 

 are nearly all Presbyterians, and chiefly adherents 

 of the Free Church. 



See Alexander Smith's Summer in Stye (1865), and 

 Robert Buchanan's Hehrid Ida ( 1883). 



Skye Terrier, a breed of dogs supposed to be 

 the outcome of a cross between tlie native dog of 

 Skye and a Maltese terrier, landed from a passing 

 ship a statement difficult to believe and impossible 

 to prove. Though long known in Scotland, where 

 he was in some places used as a working terrier, it 

 is only of late years that the Skye terrier has 



Skye Terrier. 



become common over the whole of England. The 

 chief beauty of the Skye is its long and graceful 

 coat, which requires so much attention that it is 

 better suited for a town life than a country one. 

 In ite proper place, the Skye is a bright and cheer- 

 ful companion. The modern Skye should be very 

 low at the shoulder, not above 9 or 10 inches high, 

 with as long a body as possible ; many good speci- 

 mens measure 40 inches from nose to tip of tail. 

 The coat should be very long and abundant, nearly 

 touching the ground, hut hanging quite straight, 

 without any curl. Colour varies from a dark blue 

 to a light gray. The weight should lie about 20 Ib. 

 The Skye terrier is divided into two varieties, 

 I'riek-eared and Prop-eared. Though many ad- 

 mirers claim working properties for the Skye, as 

 now Inc. I. it should only be regarded as an orna- 

 mental dog. The Paisley or Clydesdale terrier, a 

 variety of terrier brought into notice within the last 

 few years, is a Skye with a light-roloiired and silky 

 coat, and is kept entirely as a house-dog. 



Skyros, or SCYRO, an island of the Grecian 

 Archipelago, the largest of the northern Sporadea, 

 24 miles NE. of EuWa, Length, 17 miles ; area, 



