546 
NATURE 
[APRIL 7, 1904 
SURVEY OF SCOTTISH LAKES. 
THE three papers mentioned below complete the account 
of the survey of the lochs which lie within the drainage 
basin of the Tay, and show that the excellent work carried 
on by Sir John Murray and the late Mr. F. P. Pullar is 
being continued in a manner worthy of the importance of 
the subject. It may be recalled that part i. of these publi- 
cations appeared in the Geographical Journal for April, 
1900, and dealt with the lochs of the Trossachs and 
Callander district; part ii. appeared in the Journal for 
March, 1901, and dealt with the remaining lochs of the 
Forth basin; part iii., No. 1, appeared in the same Journal, 
and dealt with Lochs Ericht and Garry in the basin of the 
Tay. Part i. was noticed in these columns on May 17, 1900 
{see Nature, vol. Ixii. pp. 65-67). 
In the introductory remarks to the first paper under 
notice, reference is made to the attempt to induce the 
Government to undertake a bathymetrical survey of the 
principal Scottish lakes; to the commencement of such a 
survey by Sir John Murray and the late Mr. F. P. Pullar, 
which was brought to a standstill by the sad death of Mr. 
Fred. Pullar; to the desire of his father, Mr. Laurence 
Pullar, to continue and complete the work in which his late 
son took such an active part; to the resolutions passed by 
the councils of the Royal Societies of London and Edin- 
burgh, and by the British Association, affirming the im- 
portance and scientific value of the contemplated survey ; 
to the interest taken in the work by the directors of the 
Ordnance Survey and Geological Survey, the hydrographer 
of the Admiralty, and the controller of H.M. Stationery 
Office ; to the steps taken to carry out the work under the 
direct supervision of Sir John Murray and the staff 
appointed to assist him; and to the progress made up to 
the time of publication. 
The drainage basin of the River Tay is the largest in 
Scotland, covering an area exceeding 2500 square miles, and 
it includes several large fresh-water lochs as well as many 
small ones, nearly all of which have now been sounded by 
Sir John Murray and his colleagues. The relative positions 
of the lochs will be seen at a glance in the index 
map shown in Fig. 1. In the first paper now under 
notice, thirteen of the lochs are dealt with, the most 
important being Lochs Rannoch and Earn; in the second 
paper fourteen lochs are dealt with, including Lochs 
Tay and Tummel; and in the third paper thirty-one of the 
smaller lochs are discussed, making a total of fifty-eight 
lochs fully described and elaborately mapped. Adding 
Lochs Ericht and Garry, previously published, the total: is 
increased to sixty, so that only a few little lochans within 
the Tay basin remain unsurveyed. These sixty lochs cover 
an area of about forty square miles, and they drain an area 
twenty times greater—an area of more than eight hundred 
square miles. The number of soundings necessary to 
indicate with sufficient accuracy the relief of the bottom 
varies greatly, according to the dimensions, depth, and form 
of the basin, but usually a relatively much larger number 
of soundings is taken in a small loch than in a large one. 
Nearly seven thousand soundings were recorded in these 
sixty Tay lochs, or an average of 114 per loch, or 172 per 
square mile of water-surface. In the thirty-one little lochs 
included in the third paper the average number of sound- 
ings per square mile of surface is 383, while in the largest 
loch (Loch Tay) the average is only gr. 
The sixty lochs lie at elevations varying between 140 and 
2575 feet above the sea, the last mentioned, the only one 
above the 2000 feet level, being the little Loch nan Eun at 
the head of Glen Taitneach, a tributary of the wefl-known 
Glenshee, and the highest loch visited by the Lake Survey. 
Of the four largest lochs, Loch Ericht is the highest, 1153 
feet above sea-level, then Loch Rannoch, 668 feet, then 
Loch Tay, 349 feet, and Loch Earn, 317 feet. 
In this short notice it is impossible to refer to all the lochs 
dealt with, and therefore attention will be directed only 
to the larger and more interesting lochs. In order to show 
1 Bathymetrical Survey of the Freshwater Lochs of Scotland. Under 
the direction of Sir John Murray, K.C.B., F.R.S., D.Sc., and Laurence 
Pullar, F.RS.E. Part iii. Nos. 2-6, Geographical Journal, vol. xxii., 
Pp. 237-269, with seven plates of maps; Nos. 7-9, PP. 521-541, with five 
plates of maps; No. ro, vol. xxiii., pp. 32-61, with six plates ot maps, and 
geological map. 
NO. 1797, VOL. 69] 
their relative dimensions and depths, the principal Tay lochs 
are arranged in the following tables according to (1) super- 
ficial area, (2) length, (3) volume of water, (4) maximum 
depth, and (5) mean depth, the particulars being given in 
round numbers :— 
(1) Superficial Area. 
Square Square 
miles mile 
Loch Tay a). .. lot Loch Tummel ... ... I 
>» Rannoch oon ceive’ 5 EE Ae ae 
ry SS hay oy RS >, of Lintrathen 
>, Earn ite <4. », Garry 
53 Laidontyeemeeeen ne? +» Freuchie 
(2) Length. 
Miles Miles 
Woch Daygeesmuees eee 140 |) ealuoch Linirathen es 
3 richtig ee 148 39) Lubhaiy)-.. epee 
», Rannoch wee 2 ys) Lochie |. .essammlee 
3) Ham 4 x7 OW the owes) eye 
Sem eaid orm 54 »>  Durret ae I 
se eeeeiunrmelees. Zee | », Benachally bes! 
», Garry ay | jo) Ol Horfar) > ne) cuee 
37 Bee 24 >, Daimh I 
3, Lyon % 12 eo) con I 
»»  Hxeuchie™.. ie 
(3) Volume of Water. 
Millions Millions 
of cubic of cubic 
feet feet 
Loch Tay ... 56,55¢ Loch Drumellie 222 
3) richtes. 38,027 9 RDA tees 206 
», Rannoch 34,387 >, Lowes 194 
>, Earn 14,421 yy) Waimhees 190 
>, Laidon 1,762 », Benachally 178 
>», Tummel 1,317 | »>  Clunie 170 
3 (Garry... 846 | »> Tubhair ... 147 
», Lyon ; 461 sy Ordie 133 
»,  Lintrathen... 405 >, Kennard 108. 
», Freuchie 347 | »,  Derculich 108 
>» Turret 228 =| sat Loch 103 
(4) Maximum Depth. 
Feet Feet 
Loch Ericht ... 512 Loch Kennard... ... 72 
> Tay ee 508 >, Lintrathen 9 geo 
;» Rannoch 440 3s  Derculich ey 0) 
3» Earn ; 287 oF Ordie wc. eee 
3) waidon’ =. 128 » Clunie .. ... 69 
>, Tummel 128 39 Lnbhain essere: 
», Garry 113 »» Benachally ... 64 
ap iY aoe Se CSO) a5 Freuchie Koch: ae 
np WDEM ERY coo ao 95 ss  Drumellie GS: 
3 (och (wes) St | 33) Veklachy yc nesses 
53) aLUtreteess On | 53> Owes) ee) cence 
55, senders 7/5 33, neo Buns ces O) 
(5) Mean Depth. 
Feet Feet 
Loch Tay 199 Woch\ Cluniel 3 eae 
»,  Ericht 189 | >,  Drumellie ie 229) 
5, Rannoch 167 | s ~1Ordie’ | 4, ERemeo 
5) arn 138 | », Benachally ... 25 
bo eQarny ston) ce 50 3) Lubhair’ 4.) tees 
>, Tummel se 1748: s, Derculich Cee AS 
yon ees ohare 5) Lintrathen cope arch 
oy IDEM cos ces 2G) aa Freuchie ... SA2g: 
Selualdonte. eet 35) a, . Fingaskl 22) Weeues 
SeMULTeh rcs ar une oe vo ©\GlOYKal Seen 
ha bende recess! ese ») «nan une eee: 
>, Kennard Fe 132 | », Lowes 920) Ssaico 
jie eoch™ ee-< aeeer) (2 
The general conformation of the principal lochs may now 
be indicated briefly ; for further details the reader is referred 
to the papers cited. ; ‘ 
Loch Tay is slightly sinuous in outline and comparatively 
simple in conformation. A depth of roo feet is met with 
about a quarter of a mile from the upper (south-western) 
end, and about one-third of a mile from the lower end. The 
basin exceeding 200 feet in depth is eleven miles in length, 
