The Karstlands of Western Ytigoslavia. 



893 



districts, there is practically no soil-covering in such regions, while 

 such as is formed is rapidly carried away by the wind or occasional 

 rainfall, with the result that the limestone surface is irregularly 

 fretted, and cut up by innumerable clefts or hollows known through- 

 out the Western Balkans as grics (cf. English grikes) ; while its 

 lower portions are honeycombed with caverns and an intricate 

 subterranean drainage system. The very uncertain water-supply 



OBOGRAPHICAL aHETCH-MAP OF WESTERN YUGOSLAVIA 



n ei o'h ts. 



oven ISOO METttES 



soo- ISOO 

 o — soo 



SCALE 



too MILCS 



Fig. 1. — Orograijhical sketch-map of Western Yugoslavia, illustrating the 

 occurrence of poljes and other depressions following the Dinaric trend. 



and scanty soil-covering of such regions have a preponderating 

 effect on the distribution of the population ; and the majority of 

 the settlements are clustered together on the floors of the scattered 

 inland drainage basins, while the thin veneer of red earth (or terra- 

 rossa) which floors such areas is carefully enclosed by loose stone 

 walls and terraces. 



