MULL. GENERAL DESCRIPTION. 531 



of the several divisions. Those adopted are the following : 

 the primary, the southern trap, the middle trap, the 

 northern trap, and the mountain districts. 



The first occupies the western end of Ross, and is 

 bounded by an irregular line drawn from near Bunessan 

 to Shiha ; while the second, or southern trap division, 

 which is continuous with it, extends from this line to 

 Duart castle. The middle trap district occupies the pro- 

 montory of Gribon as far as the foot of Ben more, where 

 the mountainous division commences, extending to the 

 opposite coast and bounded on one side by the kirk of 

 Torosay or the castle of Aros, and, on the other, termi- 

 nating between Macalister's bay and the head of Loch 

 Don. The remainder of the island northward of a line 

 drawn from Aros to the heado f Loch na Keal, constitutes 

 the northern trap division. 



Commencing with this last division, the whole surface is 

 hilly and irregular, yet, although high, cannot be called 

 mountainous. It presents every where that aspect so 

 characteristic of trap countries, in the terraced forms rising 

 by numerous stages from the shores to the highest eleva- 

 tion, which seems never to exceed 1200 or 1500 feet. 

 The shores are various in their appearance. Sometimes 

 they present cliffs, at others the rocky terraces or the 

 grassy slopes descend to the water's edge. Small sandy 

 beaches are seen in one or two deep bays, and as is 

 the general case in the Western islands, they are formed 

 of broken shells. It is but rarely that any picturesque 

 features are found along the shores, and in the interior 

 of the country they never occur. A few of the promon- 

 tories and columnar ranges on the shores of Loch na 

 Keal and in the sound of Ulva, present solitary studies 

 which are not deficient in interest to an artist ; being 

 either clothed with ivy or decorated by the scattered 

 remains of oak and ash coppices. In the same places 

 the basaltic veins sometimes also present objects often 

 more singular than picturesque ; remaining like ruined 



