APPENDIX. 301 



best, if not the best, hill for ptarmigan in the county. Within 

 a few feet of the top is a spring of the coldest water. Its 

 eastern side is the most precipitous, and here the golden 

 eagle builds in safety, its nest being so placed as to be 

 inaccessible, though the eggs may be easily seen. At the 

 foot of its eastern slope is Loch Choire, the head waters 

 of the Mallert (Mheal aird 1 ) river, one of the principal 

 feeders of the Naver. Looking towards the east, from 

 Loch Choire, the rounded group of hills that form Ben 

 Armine rise, terminating in two high tops, Craigmore and 

 Craigbeg, the former being 2306 feet in height. The 

 ptarmigan is here fast dying out, very few being seen 

 now. The eastern side is fairly precipitous, and is at 

 times haunted by a pair of golden eagles, which are strictly 

 preserved by the lessee of the shootings ; the western side 

 is well wooded on its lower slopes, especially about Coir- 

 na-fearn, a very favourite resort of deer. Stretching all 

 round on the east and north are vast tracts of wet flow 

 ground, intersected by burns which fall wholly into the 

 Brora river, or rather that branch of it which is called the 

 Blackwater. 



The other hills of importance are, Ben Uarie, 1923 

 feet, and Ben a Veallich 1936 feet, in the parishes of 

 Loth and Kildonan ; Ben Smeorale 1667 feet, and Ben 

 Horn 1712, both in the parish of Clyne ; and Ben 

 Bhraggie, in the parish of Golspie, 1282 feet. None of 

 these hills present that rugged, wild, and rocky appearance 

 that characterises those in the west ; they are for the 

 most part smooth and rounded, the higher ones in the 

 centre of the county covered towards the top with a coarse 

 grass, which shows a vivid green in the sunlight ; the 

 others, nearer the south and east, have heather growing 

 up to their summits, which gets coarser and more stunted 

 the higher it ascends. In some places, where the ground 

 is sufficiently wet, what is called "deer's hair" grass 

 appears, but this is more characteristic of the low, wet, 

 flow grounds. 



1 In Ordnance Survey Map inch scale this is given " Abhainn 

 a Mhail Aird," correctly Abhuin a Mhael Aird or Mheal Aird. 



