PHYSICAL FEATURES. 



67 



this is natural hardwood, principally birch, but mixed with a 

 great deal of rowan, ash, gean, poplar, and, immediately along 

 the river-sides and in the marsh at the mouth, a thick growth of 

 alder. The greatest extent of planted fir is about Balmacaan 

 House. One tree in the glen deserves especial mention here, 

 the bird-cherry, as nowhere do we remember to have seen such 

 a magnificent display of blossom as when driving along the road 

 which runs through the glen on the way to Strath Glass. 



At the junction of these two small rivers is a marsh, situated 

 in a dense thicket of alders, mixed with blackthorn, and having a 

 thick undergrowth of brambles, etc. This is a great resort of 

 ducks, and Teal are very common here in the winter (Muirhead) 

 Great numbers of Common Sandpipers haunt the banks of the 

 rivers, more especially the Enrick, in the summer, while outside 

 in the bay adjoining Coots are always to be seen. 



On the south-west entrance to the bay is a promontory, on 

 which are situated the fine ruins of Urquliart, or Strone Castle. 

 On the north-east rises the rocky eminence of Craig Nay, composed 

 of conglomerate, and, with the exception of the portion that faces 

 southward, where it is too rocky and steep for any tree to get 

 root-hold, is entirely covered with a dark mass of fir-trees. 



Although this glen, from its warm, sheltered situation and its 

 mixture of woodland, arable ground, and moorland, is admirably 

 adapted for the greater variety of small birds, yet, like so many 

 other parts of the kingdom, even here they were unable to stand 

 the severity of the winters of 1878-79 and 1880-81. Mr. Craig 

 remarks that, before the migrants came in the spring of 1881, 

 scarcely a bird was to be seen in the glen, and this was scarcely to 

 be wondered at, seeing that the thermometer registered for several 

 mornings from six to twelve degrees below zero. 



Loch Ness must be well known to almost all those who yearly 

 visit the northern Highlands. Its depth is enormous (774: feet)} 

 and as it lies surrounded on all sides by hills, more especially steep 

 on the north side, it almost appears as if the country had been 

 broken in two here, and the water had rushed in to fill up the 



^ On the Admiralty chart of Scotland the depth of Loch Ness opposite the 

 Falls of Foyers is given as 129 fathoms. 



