PHYSICAL FEATURES. 



63 



down the Caledonian Canal. On the north and west side of the 

 river the woods are mostly composed of hardwood. The hills on 

 the east side of Loch Oich are almost entirely covered with grass — 

 very little heather is to be seen here — and they rise almost straight 

 from the loch side. Scarcely a tree is to be seen, except some 

 small patches of scrubby birch, and a few firs planted round the 

 shooting - lodge of Aberhalder. Except for its salmon-fishing, 

 which in early spring is excellent, there is nothing striking about 

 the loch. 



The river Oich issues out of the north end of Loch Oich. At 

 its head a kind of weir keeps up the level of the loch in the 

 interests of the canal, the main stream running under a rock on 

 the west side. As an angling stream the Oich is not of much 

 account, except in heavy water in the early spring, the salmon 

 going through into the river Garry and Loch Oich ; and through a 

 great part of its course, more especially in the upper reaches, it is 

 a sluggish stream. It enters Loch Ness close to Fort Augustus. 



The greater part of the valley through which the Oich flows is 

 composed of gravel, evidently moraines, and much of this has been 

 planted quite of late years; whins and broom also grow well. 

 Some small lochs and back-waters of the canal generally hold a 

 few ducks (especially Goldeneyes in the winter), also Goosanders. 

 From the nature of the ground there is little cultivation all through 

 the strath, what there is being mostly situated at the southern end. 



The next strath in importance is Glen Moriston, which lies to 

 the north-east of Glen Garry, and drains the watershed between 

 Glen GaiTy, Strath Affric, and Glen Urquhart. This basin 

 includes the forests of Clunie, Ceanacroc, Dundreggan and Glen- 

 and Invermoriston. The Moriston river is composed of three 

 principal affluents, which unite not far from each other near 

 Ceanacroc Lodge: the southernmost of these is the Loyne, the 

 middle the Clunie, and the northern one the Doe : the two former 

 have lochs of the same name as themselves as reservoirs ; the Doe 

 is merely a mountain torrent. 



Loch Loyne, into and out of which the river Loyne flows, is of 

 very irregular shape, more like a series of small lochs. It has 

 several islands, on one of which the Osprey used to build, but 



