156 STUDIES OF NATURE 



north, south, and east in so striking and fan- 

 tastic a manner, that an appearance is pre- 

 sented such as I have not seen on any other 

 map than that of Arran. 



The morning, as I have said, was doubtful ; 

 but, after waiting until about eleven o'clock, we 

 determined to start. The wind was in the 

 south-west, and very strong. Both sky and sea 

 were blue full of dash and freedom, the white 

 clouds flying at lightning speed across the one, 

 and the foam-spray rising like smoke from the 

 other. We begin the ascent from our own 

 garden-wall and go straight for Am-Binnein. 

 Up, over the flowery slopes of turf and through 

 the birch copses ; then across the old sea-level, 

 a wild and desolate plain at a height of 600 

 feet ; and, following a steep water-course, we 

 reach the depressed lip of the hollow or basin 

 which is right over Corrie. If it were not for 

 this depression facing the sea the hollow would 

 contain a tarn, for the ridge runs almost entirely 



