44 A VERTEBRATE FAUNA OF THE MORAY BASIN. 



principal of which is Munlochy Bay, a long shallow fiord, where 

 the sea runs right up to the cultivated area. 



Although the Black Isle possesses no high hills — the Millbuie 

 ridge before mentioned being the highest — nor, indeed, any hill of 

 any great prominence, the country is by no means flat. On the 

 contrary it is very undulating, some of the slopes being very steep, 

 though this does not much interfere with their cultivation, except 

 in one or two places. There are many pretty valleys, which, 

 though possessing few of the features of a Highland burn, still 

 have a quiet beauty of their own. 



At Fortrose and Eosemarkie there is a kind of plateau of no 

 great extent, and this runs along the base of the hills and between 

 the two places. South of Fortrose the hill rises almost directly 

 from the sea, forming a very steep incline, and out of this the 

 railway had to be cut for some considerable distance. On these 

 cliffs hardwood grows well and freely, and the birch and oaks 

 are of a fair size ; there are plenty of other kinds, but greenwood, 

 such as Scots firs, etc., is very scarce. At Fortrose the promontory 

 of Chanonry Point almost closes the Moray Firth, in conjunction 

 with the point on which stands Fort-George. 



We may remark that the trees just mentioned, although grow- 

 ing just above and close to the sea, exhibit much less of that 

 stunted, bushy, lopsided growth that is found in all, or nearly all, 

 the plantations on the west coast. Possibly this is because the east 

 winds are not so prevalent as the westerly ones, and not so salt- 

 laden, nor are they, except on rare occasions, so violent, and these 

 remarks extend to other plantations on the east coast where they 

 are not exposed to the westerly gales. 



At Eosemarkie, a most remarkable gorge runs inland for some 

 three miles, or perhaps rather less. Never having suspected the 

 Black Isle of containing any natural beauty of scenery, this 

 came as a revelation to us. On a very minute scale, but none 

 the less pretty for that, it reminded us of a miniature Eocky 

 Mountain gorge. The valley must be some 200 or 300 feet deep, 

 clothed from top to bottom with trees and vegetation of all kinds, 

 except where the broken scaurs, probably caused by landslips, are 

 too steep for any tree to have gained a foothold. In a steep corrie 



