THE FRESH- WATER LOCHS OF SCOTLAND. 175 



connected by the Abhuinn Owskeich, and half a mile to the south of 

 Enard Bay, into which its waters are discharged by the river Garvie. 

 The ground around the loch is low, especially to the north and west. 

 The loch is over 1J miles in length, with a maximum breadth of three- 

 quarters of a mile, the mean breadth being less than half a mile. Its 

 waters cover an area of about 420 acres, or two-thirds of a square mile, 

 and it drains directly an area of about 3 square miles, but since it 

 receives the outflow from Lochs Bad a' Ghaill and Lurgain its total 

 drainage area is about 20 square miles an area thirty-one times 

 greater than that of the loch. Over 100 soundings were taken, the 

 maximum depth observed being 153 feet. The volume of water is 

 estimated at 845,809,000 cubic feet, and the mean depth at 47 feet. 

 Loch Owskeich forms a simple basin, but the deep water approaches 

 very close to the south-eastern shore, off which the slopes are steep and 

 in striking contrast to the gentle slopes at the north-west end of the 

 loch. A sounding of 90 feet was recorded only 100 feet, and a sounding 

 of 120 feet only 200 feet, from the eastern shore, and the maximum 

 depth of the loch (153 feet) was observed about 300 yards from that 

 shore. At the opposite end of the loch the 25-feet contour-line is 

 distant 300 yards, and the 50-feet contour half a mile, from the north- 

 western shore. The 50-feet area is nearly a mile, and the 100-feet area 

 nearly three-quarters of a mile, in length. In the shallower water 

 towards the outflow one or two slight undulations of the lake-floor 

 were observed. The areas between the consecutive contour-lines, and 

 the percentages to the total area of the loch, are as follows : 



Oto 50 feet 280 acres 66 '3 per cent. 



50 ,, 100 82 19-7 



100 150 57 13-7 



Over l.>0 . I 0'3 



420 100-0 



Loch Owskeich was surveyed on September 18, 1902 ; the elevation 

 of the lake-surface above the sea could not be determined, but when 

 levelled by the Ordnance Survey officers on July 8, 1870, it was found 

 to be 71-9 feet above sea-level. 



Temperature Observations. Temperature observations taken at 

 4 p.m. on September 18, 1902, in the deepest part of the loch gave the 

 following results : 



Surface .. 54'8 Fahr. 



50 feet .. 54 *2 ? , 



100 53-7 



130 ,, .. 50-8 



This series shows a range of 4, the greatest fall being one of 2-9 

 between 100 feet and the bottom. 



