140 Proceedings of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. [Sess. 



Juncus lamprocarpus, J. acutiflorus, J. etfusus, Caltha palustris, Heleocharis 

 palustris,H. multicauhs,Menyanthes trifohata, Comarum palustre,Lysimachia 

 vulgaris, GEiianthe crocata, Lythrum Salicaria, Lycopus europ?eus, Spiraea 

 Ulmaria, Schoenus nigricans, Radicula officinalis, Hydrocotyle vulgaris, 

 Scutellaria galericulata, and Polygonum Hydropiper. Eupatorium canna- 

 binum occurred chiefly at the islands, on some of which Osmunda regalis was 

 abundant. Bryophytes on the shore, with the exception of Hypnum 

 cupressiforme, which covers rocks, and Sphagnum sp. in peaty places, were 

 not abundant. 



Castle Loch is ^ mile west of the last mentioned, which it much 

 resembles in size and general features. It is 16 feet higher than Mochrum 

 Loch, into which its north-eastern effluent flows. There are a few trees at 

 the north end and on one of the islands, which also has upon it the remains 

 of a small castle. The surrounding country is bare, open moor. This loch 

 is studded with numerous bare, rocky islands, the largest being occupied by 

 hundreds of cormorants, which breed there. The shores are rocky or stony, 

 and the bottom is rocky nearly everywhere. The water is clear, like that 

 of Mochrum Loch, and the average depth is from 6 to 8 feet, with a maximum 

 of 11 feet. I dredged a dozen or more of the less rocky places and examined 

 many other parts of the bottom, but could obtain no plants from the water 

 save Fontinalis antipyretica and F. squamosa, which abound on the rocks. 

 The bottom appears to be quite destitute of plants, excepting the two species 

 just enumerated. This is remarkable, especially when the adjoining 

 Mochrum Loch has such an abundant aquatic flora. Mr David M'Dowall, 

 the keeper, informed me that he had never seen any plants upon the net 

 when netting this loch. The water was remarkably free of plankton 

 organisms, the tow-net gathering extremely little (end of August), but Mr 

 M'Dowall told me that in early summer the water is thick and green with some 

 organism that dies away towards the end of July. Perhaps the presence 

 of this organism in the spring accounts for the absence of plants iii the 

 water. The scanty vegetation of the rocky shores was of no particular 

 interest, being similar to that of Mochrum Loch, but less abundant. 

 Lythrum Salicaria and Phalaris arundinacea were the most plentiful species. 

 Fig. 60 illustrates this loch, with Mochrum Loch in the distance. 



On Anabaglish Moss, to the north-west of Castle Loch, there are a 

 number of small lochans of some interest because of the abundance of their 

 vegetation, which includes some unusual species. Figs. 61 to 64 illustrate 

 four of these tarns ; the legends appended to the illustrations aflbrd sufficient 

 description. 



[Monreith Lake, near Port William, is entirely surrounded by wood 



