THE SCOTTISH MARINE STATION AND ITS WORK. 233 



seventy-five fatlioms in its maximum depth. The wind was 

 north-easterly in direction, thus blowing directly down the loch, 

 and its force was 1 or 2 of Beaufort's scale. Under these cir- 

 cumstances a mass of water, extending five- sixths of the 

 distance up the loch, and averaging fifteen fathoms in 

 depth, had a temperature of over 55° F. ; below this a 

 stratum of water, varying in thickness from nine fathoms at 

 the south end of the loch to twenty fathoms at the north 

 end, had a temperature of from 50° to 55°, whilst the whole 

 of the water below this was at less than 50°. By September 

 9th the direction of the wind had changed to west-south- 

 west, and its force had increased to from 5 to 6 ; it was 

 thus blowing along- the loch almost in the contrary direc- 

 tion. It was now found that the water of over 55° occupied 

 the noi'thern two thirds of the loch, extending to a depth of 

 fifteen fathoms at that end of it ; below it was a layer of 

 nearly the same average thickness as before of water between 

 50° and 55°, but it now came to the surface at the southern 

 extremity of the basin, whilst the mass of comparatively 

 cold bottom water remained unchanged. 



On the same trip a very similar phenomenon was observed 

 in Loch Ness, a much larger body of water on the same 

 canal. Just before the gale from the south-west set in, 

 water above 58° formed a moderately even layer all Over the 

 surface, varying in thickness from fifteen fathoms at the 

 south end of the loch to thirty fathoms at the north. A 

 few hours later it was ascertained that the whole mass of 

 water above this temperature had been blown up the loch 

 so far that the surface water of the southern fifth of it had 

 a temperature of below 53°. In connection with the above, 

 reference may be made to a series of observations carried 

 out on the 25th and 26th April during a south-westerly gale. 

 In this case it appeared that the strong wind had so dis- 

 placed the normally horizontal position of the strata of 

 water, that the surfaces separating them were almost vertical. 

 Observations having on the whole similar results have been 

 carried out in Loch Striven, Loch Fyne, and other localities. 



The advice and assistance of the Scottish Marine Station 

 have been freely placed at the disposal of any bodies which 



VOL. I, NO. II. 16 



