44 THE COUNTRY INLAND. CHAP. v. 



" like a lot of bottles on end," as Dick described them, 

 on the ledges of the Clett, and there they 'breed and 

 bring up their young. 



Here, as on the east coast, great Goes are found. The 

 sea dashes in through the washable rocks, and drives up 

 in clouds of vapour far inland. One of the Goes is 

 about three miles in length. In great storms the sea 

 deluges the whole headland, and pours back in clouds of 

 spray. In some places the rocks are hollowed into 

 arches by the surge, and in great gales the sea pours 

 into them with a rush of foam. To the west of Holborn 

 Head there is a long line of projecting headlands, and 

 in a clear day Cape Wrath may be seen some fifty 

 miles off. There is no land between you and the coasts 

 of Labrador nothing but the boundless ocean. 



Dick also explored the country inland. The river 

 Thurso was the scene of some of his future discoveries. 

 He went far up to the castle of Dirlot, one of the oldest 

 buildings in Caithness. He went up the hills near 

 Thurso, from which he saw the gigantic Morven far away 

 in the distance. He visited the Eeay hills and the Shurery 

 hills, which were afterwards his favourite botanic 

 grounds. He was thus laying the foundations of his 

 future knowledge, not only in botanical, but in geological 

 science. 



In the meantime he turned aside to pursue the study 

 of entomology. Here his seeing eye was of great use ;o 

 him. He worked out the natural history of the insects of 

 Caithness from his own personal observation. Notliing 

 escaped him. He collected no less than 256 specimens 



