WATERSHEDS. 



11 



tains. Tlie Carroii hills usually go by the uanie of the Beinnan 

 Laobli liath (the * Grey Heads '), from their quartzite cappings. 

 There has been a great deal of faulting among the rocks here, re- 

 sulting in a curious intermingling of colour. The first to the north 

 is Sgurr Dubh, over Loch Clair (2566 feet), a picturesque quartzite 

 peak ; succeeded by Beinn Liath Bheag (2840 feet) ; Ben Liath 

 Mhur (3034: feet), quartzite ridges of the utmost sterility. These 

 are divided by the deep Corrie Lair from the two finest of the group — 

 Fuar ThoU (2967 feet) and Sgurr Ruadh (3142 feet). Fuar Tholl is 

 over xVchnashellach, and from the north-east and south-west presents 

 the facial outline of a recumbent head, the nose being formed by a 

 perpendicular cliff on the north side. This mountain is very 

 striking from the railway, rising in two tiers of precipice. Sgurr 

 liuadh, as seen from Torridon, is an extremely sharp black 

 peak, surmounting an almost white quartzite buttress ; the con- 

 trast in colour is in certain lights very strikingly displayed. 

 Both these mountains have magnificent precipices into Corrie 

 Lair. 



On the south side of Loch Torridon is Beinn Damh (2958 feet), a 

 sandstone mountain capped with quartzite, with a grand corrie 

 and cliff on its north face. Meall a Chinn Deirg (3060 feet) rises to 

 the east — a very steep cone of sandstone, with deep corries holding 

 tarns on the north and south sides. Ituadh Stac (2919 feet) is im- 

 mediately to the south, formed almost entirely, of quartzite, and 

 very ijrecipitous on the north, with long slopes of quartzite descend- 

 ing to Loch Carron. A much lower hill, Ben Shieldaig (1667 feet), 

 deserves notice on account of the strongly-marked junction of 

 Torridon sandstone and Hebridean gneiss at its base. The 

 junction is well seen from the head of Loch Torridon. 



The Applecross hills differ very much from their neighbours, 

 though also of the sandstone formation. They have the same 

 precipitous sides, and are as sterile as most, but, instead of being 

 narrow ridges, they are long and almost flat-topped hills, divided 

 from each other by deep and precipitous corries, leading to lofty 

 cols. Over one of these cols, the Bealach-nam-Iio, the road from 

 Kishorn to Applecross is carried, and attains to the height of 2054 

 feet in a series of corkscrews. It is the highest driving road, with 



