THE TUMMEL 77 



the rocks which appear in the Tummel about a mile below the 

 loch and in the hill slopes at Allean House. " For several 

 miles downstream, as far as Faskally, the Tummel cuts through 

 solid rock, composed mainly of the Perthshire quartzite, with 

 bands of black schist. This loch has had originally a greater 

 extension westwards, for it has been silted up by alluvial 

 matter deposited by the streams. It is about 2| miles long, 

 and the soundings show that it forms three separate basins of 

 no great depth, the deepest sounding of the western basin being 

 128 feet; of the central, 119 feet; of the eastern, 99 feet. 

 Where these slopes and barriers appear, streams enter the 

 lake from the south, which have given rise to cones projecting 

 for some distance into the loch." x 



The rocky defile spoken of here as forming this section of 

 the Tummel culminates at the famous Falls of Tummel, where 

 the river, considerably contracted, plunges over a broken 

 barrier of rock 15 to 16 feet high. 



A photograph gives (as usual in my view) a poor conception 

 of what really charms the eye. The Tummel water is some- 

 what peaty, and the crest of the fall breaks in fine ale colour, 

 the sultry eddies of " The Pot " below showing echoes of the 

 colour. The movement of the water in the fine S-shaped 

 rapid which forms the Bonskeid side of the fall, is a constant 

 joy to watch, and the harmony of colour in the rocks and trees 

 beyond finds no response in a black-and-white representation. 

 Under the overhanging rock, which forms a sort of island in 

 the centre of the fall, the dipper commonly builds a secure 

 nest. On one of my many visits to the fall, the little fledglings 

 happened to make their first essay at flight. The mother 

 bird flitted about through the falling spray as if to show how 

 safely it could be done, and one or two youngsters presently 

 made some successful short circles over the eddy below, bobbing 

 in the most approved and grown-up manner as they found 

 themselves again safely on the familiar rock. Then one 

 started off boldly for the Bonskeid shore, but apparently losing 

 nerve above the swinging rapid, fell headlong therein, and was 

 immediately swallowed up and swept over the fall. I watched 

 anxiously the deep-eddying " Pot," where no human swimmer 



1 Messrs. Peach and Home, "Notes on the Geology of the Tay 

 Basin," Scottish Geographical Magazine, xx., No. 1, p. 40. 



