OF SUTHERLAND AND CAITHNESS. 
45 
of the Berriedale Hills — Morveu, Scarrabheu, and the Maiden Pap 
— ^is presented, rising like obelisks and pyramids sharp and defined 
upon what would otherwise be an almost level horizon ; and as we 
descend from these higher-lying flows and farms towards Thurso, 
gxadually the tops of these hills appear to sink, like ships' hulls 
and masts, beyond the billows of a great ocean. The river, which 
winds its sluggish course from Loch More through many miles of 
flow-land, now begins to cut deeper through the marl and clay, 
still, however, retaining its sluggish and unlovely character. 
One feature which cannot fail at once to arrest the attention of 
the traveller is the curious fence formed of Caithness pavement, 
slabs of which, squared and arranged, are placed edge to edge in 
the ground between the cropped or grazed lands ; and in the towns 
also, larger ones are used, and for greater durability are bound 
together with wooden tops and bands. This method of fencing 
seems to be ^Jeculiar to the district of Thurso, and to such places 
as are within easy carriage distance of the northern quarries. The 
surface or poorer class of pavement is used for this purpose. 
ISTearer the northern coast-line, where the land runs out into 
the principal headlands of Holborn, Dunnet, and Duncansbay, are 
what may be termed uplands ; and, as we have said, these uplands, 
rising to a few hundred feet in elevation, run like a rim round the 
central flows of the coimty, except where penetrated by the dif- 
ferent streams. To the westward of Holborn Head, however, up 
to the Sutherland march, there is a great extent of low cultivated 
land towards Strathy Point and the Halladale valley, the rim of 
hills running inland by the Hill of Dorrery from Holborn Head 
on a more southerly course. Near the sea these uplands are 
covered with stunted heather and carices, and in some parts, as at 
Holborn Head, they run in low ridges with shallow surface-water 
tarns in the hollows ; the turf which is within influence of the sea 
air is often deeply pitted down to the stratum of rubble which con- 
stitutes the top layer of the Caithness pavements. At a depth 
of from 2 to 6 feet the solid flagstone lies ; and it also shows in 
many places on the surface. This, in conjunction with the saltness 
of the air, and the wind-swept exposure of the greater part of 
