red deer, and of the small
hardy ponies called after the district. Here, as on Dartmoor, the
streams are rich in trout. Dartmoor, the principal physical feature of
the county, is a broad and lofty expanse of moorland which rises in the
southern part. Its highest point, 2039 ft., is found in the
north-western portion. Its rough wastes contrast finely with the wild
but wooded region which immediately surrounds the granite of which it is
composed, and with the rich cultivated country lying beyond. Especially
noteworthy in this fertile tract are the South Hams, a fruitful district
of apple orchards, lying between the Erme and the Dart; the rich
meadow-land around Crediton, in the vale of Exeter; and the red rocks
near Sidmouth. Two features which lend a characteristic charm to the
Devonshire landscape are the number of picturesque old cottages roofed
with thatch; and the deep lanes, sunk below the common level of the
ground, bordered by tall hedges, and overshadowed by an arch of boughs.
The north and south coasts of the county differ much in character, but
both have grand cliff and rock scenery, not surpassed by any in England
or Wales, resembling the Mediterranean seaboard in its range of colour.
As a rule the long combes or glens down which the rivers flow seaward
are densely wooded, and the country immediately inland is of great
beauty. Apart from the Tamar, which constitutes the boundary between
Devon and Cornwall, and flows into the English Channel, after forming in
its estuary the harbours of Devonport and Plymouth, the principal rivers
rise on Dartmoor. These include the Teign, Dart, Plym and Tavy, falling
into the English Channel, and the Taw flowing north towards Bideford
Bay. The river Torridge, also discharging northward, receives part of
its waters from Dartmoor through the Okement, but itself rises in the
angle of high land near Hartland point on the north coast, and makes a
wide sweep southward. The lesser Dartmoor streams are the Avon, the Erme
and the Vealm, all running south. The Exe rises on Exmoor in
Somersetshire; but the main part of its course is through Devonshire
(where it gives name to Exeter), and it is joined on its way to the
English Channel by the lesser streams of the Culm, the Creedy and the
Clyst. The Otter, rising on the Blackdown Hills, also runs south, and
the Axe, for part of its course, divides the counties of Devon and
Dorset. These eastern streams are comparatively slow; while the rive