| 1g00-1901.] Zhe Topography and Flora of Strathdearn. 161 
V.—WNOTES ON THE TOPOGRAPHY AND FLORA 
OF STRATHDEARN. 
By Mr 8. ARCHIBALD, Tomatty, InvERNEss, 
CoRRESPONDING MEMBER. 
(Read Dec. 26, 1900.) 
| SomEwWHAT to the east of the middle of Inverness-shire a 
large area is covered by a billowy sea of mountains, called 
| the Monadhliath (Mon-a-le’-a) Mountains, with many sum- 
mits, the highest, Carn Mairg, rising to a height of 3087 
| feet. Down the steep sides of these mountains rush an 
‘immense number of small streams to form and to feed 
‘the Findhorn, which has a rapid course of about 70 miles 
‘in a N.NE direction. The Gaelic name of the river is 
Eire, genitive Hireann. Hence Strath(d)eireann, or Strath- 
| dearn (the d being euphonic) is the valley of the Findhorn, 
| the name being more See applied to the upper part. 
_ Dalarossie (pronounced Dal-ar’-os-sie) is Dail Fhearghuis, 
| the Dulergusy of 1224-42, the “Dale of St Fergus,” to 
| whom the chapel there was dedicated. 
| Near the middle of its course the Findhorn is crossed by 
| the highroad from Perth to Inverness, and a little over half 
| a mile farther down by the new Aviemore and Inverness 
Railway, the former on a substantial iron girder bridge 
built in 1881, and the latter on an immense girder viaduct. 
The following notes apply to the part of the strath upwards 
| the cee? from which a road leads up the glen for 
about fifteen miles. The whole of this part of the strath is 
"essentially Highland. Where the glen road leaves the high- 
‘road, the elevation is about 980 ian at nine miles up it is 
, 1220 feet—a rise of about 240 feet. In the next six miles 
it rises 400 feet or more. For ten miles or so of this part 
of the strath there is a narrow strip of cultivated or cultiv- 
able land, with mountains rising abruptly on each side. Near 
_ this place (Dalarossie) the glen, which here lies E. and W., 
widens out considerably, sweeps round to the south, receiv- 
‘ing affluents from two tributary glens on the outside of the 
ee 
