SCOTLAND 



569 



At the northern extremity of Scotland, lie the 

 Orkneys, or Orcades, about 70 in number, but less 

 than half of them are inhabited. They are rocky 

 and have a melancholy appearance, with little vege- 

 tation besides juniper, wild myrtle, and heaih. 

 The soil is boggy or gravelly ; some of the islands 

 contain iron and lead. The sea in this neighbor- 

 hood is very tempestuous. In June and July, the 

 twilight, which continues through the night, is suffi- 

 ciently strong to enable the inhabitants to read at 

 midnight. The population is about 30,000. They 

 have some manufactures of linen and woolen, and 

 have a trade in cattle, fish, oil, and feathers. Vast 

 numbers of sea-fowl frequent tne rocky cliffs of these islands, and one of the chief employ- 



The Shetland Islands lie about 60 miles 

 northeast of the Orkneys. They have a wild 

 and desolate appearance ; but 17 of them are 

 inhabited. Their vegetation is more scanty 

 than that of the Orkneys, and their soil, for 

 the most part, is marshy. The shores are 

 broken and precipitous, and excavated by the 

 sea into natural arches and deep caverns. 

 From October to April, perpetual rains fall, 

 storms beat against the shores, and the inhab- 

 itants are cut off from all communication with 

 the rest of the world ; but the aurora borealis 

 exhibits, at this season, a brightness equal to 

 that of the full moon. The population is about 

 28,000 ; the people live by fishing, and the 

 manufacture of coarse woolens. 



6. Bays^ Straits, and Harbors. The coast is everywhere rocky, and indented by inlets 

 and arms of the sea. The Firtli of Forth extends a considerable distance inland, and affords 

 good anchorage and shelter in every part. The Firth of Tay is much narrower. Towards 

 the north, are the Firths of Jllurray and Dornock, the former of which is 80 miles in length ; 

 the latter is the Portus Saluiis, or safe haven of the ancient geographers. All these northern 

 shores are cold and dangerous, with formidable and rocky headlands. A narrow and tempes- 

 tuous sea, at the northern extremity, called the Pentland Firth, divides the Orkneys from the 

 main land. Proceeding south, along the western coast, deep inlets and rocky islands occur at 

 every step. In the south, is the Firth of Solway, a wide bay, forming part of the boundary 

 between Scotland and England, in which the tide rises with astonishing rapidity. 



7. Climate. The distinguishing feature in the climate, is the excess of moisture. Fogs 

 and drizzling rains prevail in most parts for the greater portion of the year. Considerable 

 snows fall in winter, but are soon melted ; sleighs or sledges are never used, but the waters are 

 sometimes so frozen, as to permit skating. 



8. Soil. In many of the valleys or straths, there are tracts which are productive, but the 

 soil is much inferior to that of England. A great part of the country may be considered as 

 absolutely barren. The mountains are naked, and trees of native growth are scarce in every 

 part. 



9. Geology. Scotland not being separated from England by any great natural boundary or 

 intervening sea, the geology of the adjacent districts in each is nearly the same ; but, if we 

 take a general survey of the whole country, we shall find the great features of the geology of 

 Scotland very different from those of England. If a line be dra^n in a northeast direction, 

 from the mouth of the Clyde to Stonehaven, on the eastern coast, nearly the whole of Scot- 

 land, south of that line, is composed of transition rocks, covered in many parts by coal-meas- 

 ures, trajis, or red sandstone. On the north of this line, nearly the whole country is compos- 

 ed of primary rocks of granite, gneiss, and mica slate, covered, at the feet of the mountain 

 chain?, wiih b^ds of mnslomfrate and red sandstone. The upper secondary strata, so abun- 



Sea Fowl. 



ments of the inhabitants is bird-catching. 



Bird Catchin<i in the Slu tJand Isles 



