46 
DESCRIPTION OF THE PHYSICAL FEATURES 
the county, renders tree-planting almost futile. In some places, 
markedly near Holborn Head, the shaly-looking, splintered, sur- 
face rubble crops out with jagged edges over considerable areas, 
looking like millions of combs with their teeth skywards. As an 
instance of the salt-sickened nature of this thin, poor soil, sea-pink 
is here found growing and flowering several hundred yards inland. 
It appears to take root-hold — apparently a very precarious one — 
mostly upon the bare wind-swept ridges, breaks, and rubbly 
patches. 
Upon the very summit of the cliffs at Ness Letter is one of the 
principal quarries, and the refuse is backed over a cliff some 200 
feet in height. From near this point Strathy Point is visible, but 
it closes all the further view out to the westward.'- The inter- 
vening headlands, with cultivated areas inland, are the low, rocky 
Brimms Ness, and Sandside Head, and Eudha Bhra, near Melvich. 
Looking eastward from Brimms Hill (300 feet high) over the 
intervening uplands of Holborn Head, the far-eastward land about 
Duncansbay Head, and the extreme north-east of Scotland is clearly 
visible across the lower sandy links of Old Tain and Dunnet, and 
nearer, across the Bay of Thurso, Dunnet Head stands boldly forth ; 
while across the Pentland Firth the mighty brow of Hoy, and the 
strangely isolated stack called the " Old Man of Hoy," show ruddy 
in the gleams of evening sunset, along with a considerable portion 
of the south shore of that island. 
The dip of the strata of the Caithness pavement towards the 
north-west, is very distinct, and at one spot close to ISTess Letter 
this is remarkably patent, where a series of great unbroken and 
apparently comparatively slightly weathered slabs of pavement, 
separated by fissures, or having the interstices filled with sea-pink, 
slope away from south-east to north-west, dipping at least 10 or 
12 feet in 80 or 90 yards. Each of these slabs would show 
an average measurement of 9 feet in breadth, some being quite 
14 feet. The cliff-faces in very many places around Holborn 
Head overhang, and owing to the dip of the strata before men- 
1 Except in very clear weather, when the further and higher promontories of 
North Sutherland are faintly distinguishable. 
