40 ON THE PARALLEL ROADS 



the water's edge ; and, indeed, the whole shores of the lake 

 may be in general called rocky. There is a good deal of wood 

 upon both shores. The river Spean, which issues from the 

 western extremity of Loch Laggan, runs slowly and smoothly 

 for about two miles, cutting its course through flats of deep 

 alluvial earth and clay, and rarely exhibiting any rock. The 

 Spean, in its progress downwards, receives the Gulbean water, 

 which enters it from the south ; and, at about four or five miles 

 above the House of Inch, it is joined by the river Treig, which 

 has a run of nearly two miles from its lake lying to the south, 

 the valley of the Spean being here of very considerable 

 breadth. 



The opening into the north end of Loch Treig is very ro- 

 mantic, being reduced to a narrow but grand pass, by the ad- 

 vance of the mountains on each side, which present two lofty 

 and rocky fronts, guarding its entrance, (see Plate VI.), from 

 which the lake expands, as it extends in a direction a little to 

 the west of south. The shores of Loch Treig are in general 

 bold and rocky, having their woods of birch-trees scattered 

 over them. Immediately opposite to, and to the north of the 

 narrow outlet of Loch Treig, there is a very singular, round, 

 isolated little hill, with a flattish rocky summit. This is laid 

 down in the map, and is called Tom-na-Fersit. After leaving 

 the lake, the river Treig, winding amongst hillocks, rushes vio- 

 lently over the rocks which it exposes in its progress, and as 

 it approaches the point of junction with the river Spean, its 

 bed becomes deepened into a ravine, and it is projected over 

 several falls. 



Proceeding to trace the river Spean downwards, after its 

 union with the river Treig, its course will be found extremely 

 interesting ; for it is not only bounded, on the great scale, by 

 the mountains forming the proper walls of the glen, at some 



distance^ 



