of Edinburgh, Session 1878 - 79 . 
175 
XVIII. BEN NEVIS. 
The track commonly followed by tourists ascending the mountain 
leads up the N.W. shoulder of the hill. Boulders of enormous size 
occur on each side of the track. The following measurements will 
give some idea of the size of these masses; they happened to be 
within from 20 to 30 yards of the track; but larger boulders 
were seen at a greater distance: A boulder 16x10x10 feet, 
partially sunk in a gravel bed ; a boulder 15x7 x 5 feet, lying on 
rock; a boulder 13x7x4 feet; a boulder nearly cubical, the 
sides being about 4 feet square. The three first mentioned had their 
longer axis N.W. and S.E.; and this was the rule with almost all 
the boulders, whose length was much greater than their breadth. 
The boulders measured were at levels above the sea between 900 
and 1200 feet. But there were boulders of great size up to 2000 
feet or more, and there were some near the base of the mountain. 
Many of these last-named had, however, been utilised for building 
purposes. Mr Doig, builder in Fort- William, who accompanied the 
Convener in his ascent, mentioned, that having been contractor for 
the Town Hospital, he had made use of one boulder, situated at the 
foot of the hill, which was four times as large as any of those above 
mentioned, and that all the rubble- work of the front wall of the 
hospital — extending to about 80 yards — had been obtained out of 
this boulder. 
Mr Doig, who evidently was intimately acquainted with both 
boulders and rocks on Ben Nevis, had no doubt that all the boulders 
on the N. W. shoulder of the Ben were different from any rock in the 
mountain. He stated that the boulders were mostly all granite, 
both red and grey granite, but mostly grey. Those examined by 
the Convener were all grey granite, very similar to the rock worked 
at Ballachulish and Duror, about 30 miles to the west. 
XIX. SKYE. 
The Convener regrets not having had an opportunity of visiting 
Skye, except at one spot on the west coast, viz., Loch Scavaig, where 
the steamer stops for an hour to allow tourists to visit Coruisk. Dr 
Macculloch’s book, published in 1818, and the paper which the late 
Principal Forbes read in this Society on the Cuchullin hills (“ Edin, 
VOL x. u 
