THE FRESH-WATER LOCHS OF SCOTLAND. 135 



Loch is about 635 acres, of Talla reservoir about 299 acres, and of 

 the Loch of the Lowes about 99 acres, the aggregate area covered by 

 the three lochs being about If square miles; the maximum depth of 

 St. Mary's Loch is 153 feet, of Talla reservoir 73 feet, and of the Loch 

 of the Lowes 58 feet. These lochs are situated among the moorland 

 hills of the Southern Uplands of Scotland, the highest point being Broad 

 Law (2754 feet), the scenery of the district being pastoral in character. 

 The fishing in St. Mary's Loch and the Loch of the Lowes includes trout, 

 pike, and perch, while the fishing in Talla reservoir is governed by 

 regulations drawn up by the Water Trust. 



Talla Reservoir (see Plate XLV1II.). Talla reservoir is situated 

 about 10 miles north of Moftat, 14 miles south of Peebles, and about 

 2<> miles west of Selkirk, lying in a narrow valley, with high hills, smooth, 

 grassy, and round-topped, on both sides. The valley rises very steeply at 

 the head of the loch, and the inflowing river descends by a series of 

 cascades the " Talla Linns " ; there was formerly a bog on the site of the 

 lower part of the loch. The Act of Parliament authorizing the construction 

 of this reservoir was passed in 1895, and ten years later the work was 

 completed. A huge embankment, 1300 feet in length, 600 feet in breadth 

 across the base and tapering to 20 feet in breadth across the top, was thrown 

 across the valley, the top of the embankment being 957 feet above sea- 

 level, and 7 feet above the sill of the waste weir, which is 200 feet in 

 length. On the date of the survey (July 24, 1906) the surface of the 

 water in the reservoir was 3J feet below the sill at the overflow, or 

 9 46 '5 feet above the sea. 



Talla reservoir * trends from south-east to north-west, and is 2^ miles 

 in length, the maximum breadth. exceeding a quarter of a mile, while the 

 mean breadth is about one-fifth of a mile. The superficial area is about 

 299 acres, or nearly half a square mile, and the drainage area extends to 

 about 10 square miles. The principal feeders are the Gameshope burn 

 and the Talla water entering at the head of the reservoir, while the over- 

 flow is carried by the Talla water into the river Tweed at Tweedsmuir. 

 The maximum depth of 73 feet was observed quite near the embankment 

 at the northern end, whence the water shoals gradually towards the head. 

 The volume of water is estimated at 443 million cubic feet, and the mean 

 depth at 34| feet. 



The following notes on the stocking of the Talla reservoir with life 

 are supplied by Mr. James Murray : 



" It was thought that the formation of the Talla reservoir would give a 

 good opportunity to study the incoming of life to a lake, and it was intended 

 to make as frequent visits as circumstances permitted, with that object. 



* We are indebted to Mr. W. A. Tait, C.E., the engineer of the Edinburgh and 

 District Water Trust, for permission to trace the outline of the reservoir, reproduced 

 in the accompanying map (Plate XLVIII.). 



