THE FRESH- WATER LOCHS OF SCOTLAND. 381 



(Quoich and Garry) exceed 200 feet in depth, and three other lochs 

 (Oich, Clunie, and nan Lann) exceed 100 feet in depth, while no fewer 

 than twelve others include depths exceeding 50 feet. 



The basin lies almost entirely in Inverness-shire, but a small portion 

 of Ross-shire extends within the basin on its western border, the 

 boundary-line running along the centre of West Loch Loyne and for a 

 short distance along the centre of East Loch Loyne, and thence turning 

 northward it crosses Loch Clunie in its central part ; thus Lochs Loyne 

 and Clunie lie partly in Ross-shire and partly in Inverness-shire, while 

 the little Loch Beag, at the west end of Loch Clunie, is the only one 

 lying wholly in Ross-shire. The scenery of the basin is varied, and as 

 fine as anything to be seen in the Scottish Highlands : towards the north 

 the ground is low, but proceeding southwards it becomes more elevated, 

 culminating on the south-western borders in several giant peaks exceed- 

 ing 3000 feet in height, and on the south-eastern borders in mountains 

 slightly less elevated. The district is a veritable sportsman's paradise, 

 the deer-forests, grouse-moors, and fishings (both in river and loch) being 

 of the best. Trout abound in nearly every loch, with salmon and salmo 

 ferox in some of the larger lochs, and char in some of the smaller 

 lochs lying to the east of Loch Ness; the fishing in most of the lochs 

 is preserved. 



Loch Ness (see Plates XCI. and XCIL). Loch Ness formed the 

 subject of discussion at a meeting of the Research Department of the 

 Royal Geographical Society on January 18, 1904, and preliminary 

 notes on the bathymetry, temperatures, and seiches were published in 

 the Journal in October 1904.* Since then many temperature and 

 seiche observations and supplementary soundings have been taken, and 

 the preliminary measurements and calculations have been carefully 

 revised, the final results being given here. Loch Ness is one of the best 

 known of the larger Scottish lochs, since it forms a considerable part 

 (nearly one-half) of the waterway known as the Caledonian canal, 

 which occupies the great glen running in a north-east and south-west 

 direction from the Moray firth on the east coast of Scotland to Loch 

 Linnhe on the west coast, thus cutting Scotland into two portions. 

 Through the Caledonian canal thousands of visitors are carried each 

 season on the route between Inverness and Fort William, and the 

 splendid scenery of the canal and surrounding district has furnished a 

 theme for many pens. The absence of islands on Loch Ness is a striking 

 characteristic, and gives a touch of monotony to the grand and sombre 

 scene, as one sails up or down ; the little Cherry island, lying at the 

 opening of Inchnacardoch bay near the head of the loch, is invisible 

 except at close quarters. Castle Urquhart, on its rocky headland at 



' Geogr. Joum., vol. 24, p. 420. 



