154 COUNTRY ESSAYS. 



at the top of his glorie ; a man certainly indued with great 

 gifts, if they had bin rightlie imployed."* 



Of the many lochs in Assynt there are two which, from their 

 beauty and the abundance of trout in them, are specially dear 

 to fishermen. Loch Beannoch Beg is some four miles from 

 Loch Inver village over the moorland. The walk may be en- 

 livened by a glance at the wild duck with her young ones flap- 

 ping down the shallows of the river, by putting up a little family 

 of grouse, and collecting the characteristic plants of the local- 

 ity. This Little Beannoch is a circular sheet of water 

 surrounded by dark rocks, and full of water-lilies, which rise 

 and fall on the mimic breezes of a summer day, and lend ani- 

 mation to what would otherwise be rather a dreary spot. The 

 fish are of good size and flavour, but difficult to catch, as there 

 is no boat, and when hooked from the side they at once make 

 for the lilies. Here a pair of black-throated divers build 

 regularly on an islet ; the female scorns to fly away from her 

 dusky fledgeling, but contents herself with swimming to the 

 opposite side as the angler fishes onwards, and utters loud 

 guttural barks at the intruder. On a rock which projects 

 slightly above the surface, a lesser black-backed gull with her 

 young one take their stand, in no ways alarmed at the fisher- 

 men's approach. Long may it be ere these interesting birds 

 are destroyed or driven irom their secluded loch ! 



The other, or Large Loch Beannoch, is considerably larger, 

 and contains several islands, some of which are well wooded 

 for this county, and on the birch-trees of one of these, often at 

 a height of not more than six feet, is a heronry. The nests 

 are built of sticks and heather; and as there is a boat here, the 

 ornithologist can approach and notice the ungainly attitudes of 



* P. 556. Two MSS. of this chronicle are extant : one in the possession 

 of the Duke of Sutherland, the other in the Advocates' Library. The 

 author is described as having been " warm in his enmities and friendships," 

 which is borne out by the above extract. 



