THE FRESH-WATER LOCHS OF SCOTLAND. 49 



LOCHS OF THE GAIKLOCH BASIN. 



EIGHT of the lochs within this basin (see Index Map, Fig. 4) were 

 sounded by the Lake Survey, viz. Lochs an Eilein, na h-Oidche, Dubh, 

 Bad an Sgalaig, a' Bhealaich, a' Ghobhainn, Braigh Horrisdale, and Bad 

 a' Chrotha. An attempt was made to sound Loch Clair, but after taking 

 one line of soundings in a north-easterly and south-westerly direction, on 

 which a depth of 50 feet was attained, the work had to be abandoned on 

 account of the leaking of the boat and the strong wind. Loch an Eilein 

 drains by a stream entering Loch Gairloch at its north-eastern angle? 

 while Lochs na h-Oidche, Dubh, and Bad an Sgalaig form a connected 

 series draining by the river Kerry into the south-eastern angle of Loch 

 Gairloch, and Lochs a' Bhealaich, a' Ghobhainu, Braigh Horrisdale, and 

 Bad a' Chrotha form another connected series draining by a stream enter- 

 ing Loch Gairloch on its southern shore. Yellow trout occur in most of 

 the lochs, and Loch Bad a' Chrotha contains also salmon and sea-trout, 

 while Loch Bad an Sgalaig contains pike. 



Locli an Eilein (see Plate XVIII. ). Loch an Eilein (or Badh a' 

 Chream) is situated between Loch Ewe and Loch Gairloch, being distant 

 from the former rather more than a mile, and from the latter over 2 miles. 

 The loch is irregular in outline, with a maximum diameter in a north 

 and south direction of two-thirds of a mile, while from east to west the 

 greatest width is nearly half a mile, its waters covering an area of about 

 92 acres. The maximum depth of 34 feet was observed off the central 

 portion of the south-western shore, where the outflowing stream leaves 

 the loch. The volume of water is estimated at 58 million cubic feet, and 

 the mean depth at nearly 14| feet. The loch was surveyed on August 9, 

 1902, but the elevation of the lake-surface above the sea could not be 

 determined. 



The floor of Loch an Eilein is uneven ; the 10-feet contour-line 

 coincides approximately with the outline of the loch, but within this 

 contour the bottom rises in the southern portion of the loch to form two 

 small islands, and sinks in four places below the 20-feet level. The 

 principal deep basin lies towards the middle of the south-western shore 

 at the outflow, where soundings in 28, 30, and 34 feet were taken ; a 

 depth of 27 feet was found near the southern end, and a depth of 24 feet 

 towards the northern end, while a sounding in 23 feet was recorded 



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