THE FRESH-WATER LOCHS OF SCOTLAND. 199 



tions of the lake-floor, especially in the wider western half of the loch, 

 where the contour-lines of depth are much more sinuous in character 

 than in the narrower eastern half. This is most noticeable in the 

 vicinity of the islands at the west end; the line of soundings running 

 south from Rudha Port na Coite shows several irregularities of the 

 lake-floor, and causes the 300-feet and 500-feet contours to twist in a 

 peculiar manner. Proceeding eastwards, the bottom undulates in such 

 a way as to cut up the 700-feet basin into three portions separated from 

 each other by shallower water, and towards the north shore, opposite 

 Camas na Togalach, a sounding of 367 feet is recorded separated from 

 the main basin by a shoaling of the bottom covered by 229 feet of water. 

 Farther east again, opposite Roinn a' Ghiubhais, the bottom shoals 



PIG. 34. DIAGRAMMATIC SECTION ACROSS LOCH MORAR AND THE HILLS ON BOTH 

 SIDES, SHOWING RELATION OP DEPTH TO HEIGHT. NATURAL SCALE. 



slightly, so as to isolate a small area exceeding 900 feet in depth from 

 the main 900-feet basin. Opposite the entrance of the river Meoble, on 

 the southern shore, a sounding of 97 feet was recorded comparatively 

 near shore, which gives rise to a prolongation of the 100-feet contour- 

 line in that direction. Towards the east end of the loch, opposite Sron 

 an Drutain on the north shore, a rise of the bottom was observed 

 covered by 74 feet of water, surrounded by depths exceeding 100 feet. 



The deepest part of the loch is at the wide portion opposite the 

 mouth of the Meoble river ; here, in the centre of the loch, the maximum 

 depth of 1017 feet was obtained, at a spot nearly midway between the 

 two ends of the loch. The area over 1000 feet in depth is not large, 

 extending only to a little over 4 acres. One sounding of 1002 feet was 

 obtained about 400 yards to the north-east of this area. 



The area enclosed by the 900-feet contour extends to a length of 

 a little over 2 miles, with a maximum breadth of a quarter of a mile, 

 situated about 5J miles from the west end of the loch and 4 miles from 

 the east end. A small detached area over 900 feet in depth, with a 

 length of half a mile, lies about two-thirds of a mile to the west of 

 the main 900-feet basin. 



The 800-feet contour encloses an area 4 miles in length with a 

 maximum breadth of about one-third of a mile. It extends from 4 

 miles from the west end of the loch to within 3 miles of the east end. 



