PHYSICAL FEATURES. 569 



These lochs, as might have been expected from the low 

 "head" of the gouging tool of ice which scooped them out, 

 are mostly shallow. They seldom reach four fathoms in 

 depth. The work of the ice is seen also in the innu- 

 merable islets, reefs and shoals which stud the windings of 

 the sea-lochs or fiords and straits. Sea-lochs such as Loch 

 Roag, Loch Resort, Loch Seaforth, Loch Shell and Loch 

 Erisort are but the deep furrows left by the great ice 

 plough on its way to the sea from the higher reaches of 

 these lochs. 



Of course the pounding, action of the sea waves com- 

 pleted the work by sweeping away all the accumulated 

 debris at the sea ends of these submerged valleys. But 

 where the Atlantic surges have an open field as on the 

 west of the Outer Hebrides, the coast line on the whole 

 presents an unbroken front with open shelving sand 

 beaches alternating with grim walls of rock forming cliffs 

 up to 100 feet, and all exposed to the full force of the 

 Ocean. South of Carloway, the shore line is abrupt 

 though not of great altitude. In this part of the coast 

 there are several good harbours as in the fiords above 

 referred to. 



The islands of North and of South Uist with Benbecula 

 between in reality form one island, as the sea separating 

 them is fordable between half tide and low water. To the 

 south of Uist is the group of the islands of Barra. In 

 the train of the larger islands is a large number of smaller 

 islands in close neighbourhood to the larger ones. Other 

 islands and islets belonging to the group of the Outer 

 Hebrides stand further away as the Shiants off the south- 

 east of Lewis. The Flannan Isles or Seven Hunters are 

 some 20 miles west of Uig, Lewis, and 45 miles further off 

 is St. Kilda. The stack of Rockall, some 180 miles west 

 of St. Kilda, rises from near the verge of the submerged 

 platform on which the British Islands rest. A few miles to 

 the west of it the sounding line goes down abruptly from 

 100 to 200 fathoms, and thereafter with swift descent 

 down to the abyssmal depths of the Atlantic. 



