1909-iO.] Flora of Scottish Lakes. 151 



Morton Lochs, situated on Tents Muir, and of recent construction, are of 

 considerable interest because of the rapid development of an extensive 

 aquatic flora that has occurred there. 



Mr James Morton Christie, the owner of the lochs, formed them in 1906 

 for fishing purposes by enclosing a natural depression of the land by means 

 of a wide embankment of sand, and by diverting a burn to the site as a 

 feeder. This moor (muir) is an extension of the sand dunes now nearl}" 3 

 miles to the east, and is mostly a sandy heath, some of the more favourable 

 spots, however, being under cultivation. In the way indicated, two lochs 

 were formed, having a general depth of from 4 to 8 feet. One of them 

 is about h mile long and I mile broad, whilst the other is about half that 

 size ; they are connected by a narrow passage through the embankment, 

 which alone separates them. Although there was a thin covering of peat 

 over the sand, still the Avater is not peaty, because the feeder originates in 

 and passes through a cultivated and non-peaty district. 



For the fiirst two years no aquatic Phanerogams were noticeable in the 

 lochs, but there was a great abundance of Algas, chiefly Rhizoclonium hiero- 

 glyphicum, Spirogyras, and Cladophorse, which, becoming detached from the 

 sides of the loch, where they chiefly originated, floated about in the water 

 and bade fair to ruin the fishing. These Alg^e are now kept down by 

 spraying the sides of the loch with a solution of copper sulphate in the 

 spring. 



During the third summer a considerable growth of submersed Phanero- 

 gams appeared, but not in sufficient quantity to interfere with the fishing. 

 By the fourth summer, however (i.e. in 1909), the plants had increased to 

 such an extent that they would seriously impede the operations of the 

 sportsman were they not subjected to frequent raids by the proprietor of 

 the lochs. 



At present there is no development of marsh vegetation at the margin 

 of either loch, such plants being, in fact, practically absent, which is not 

 surprising, in view of the applications of copper sulphate previously men- 

 tioned. In both lochs the dead Calluna lying at the bottom is covered with 

 Cladophora, etc. In the smallest loch, which is the southernmost one, 

 Myriophyllum spicatum occurs in extraordinary abundance ; somewhat less 

 plentiful are Potamogeton obtusifolius, P. pusillus, and P. crispus ; and these 

 four species may be said to fill the loch to the exclusion of other plants. 

 In the largest loch Myriophyllum spicatum is not very abundant, but the 

 three species of Potamogeton just mentioned are very plentiful, whilst P. 

 polygonifolius, P. perfoliatus, and Myriophyllum alterniflorum occur, but are 

 all scarce. Nitella opaca, Chara vulgaris and its var. papillata, C. contraria 



