68 A VERTEBRATE FAUNA OF THE MORAY BASIN. 



hollow, i^o where along the whole of its length, until Dores and 

 Aldourie are reached, is there any low-lying shore. The rivers on 

 both sides either cut through the hills, forming a gorge, or come 

 rushing down rapidly, often ending in high falls, as at Foyers on 

 the south-east side ; and the hills in most cases rise very abruptly 

 from the shore. When shallows occur near the shore, they 

 would appear to have been formed by the disintegration of 

 the almost overhanging rocks, or from the siltings of the rivers. 

 Even at the two extremities of the loch there is not much shallow 

 water, and where the Oich enters at Fort Augustus the water has 

 all the appearance of great depth. At the north-east end, where 

 the Ness begins to form, there is a bank of fine red gravel at a 

 place called, appropriately enough, Lochend, and below this the 

 half-river, half-loch goes by the name of Loch Dochfour, close to 

 which is Dochfour House, with its prettily-kept grounds, belonging 

 to the Baillies. 



From Fort Augustus to Lochend — indeed we may carry on to 

 Craig Phadrick, overlooking Clachnaharry — the whole of the hills 

 on both sides of the loch are clothed in wood, and though there is 

 much planting of Scots firs on both sides, this is more evident on 

 the north side than on the east; even the stony hills of Abriachan, 

 with the numerous 'screes,' are all planted and dark with the 

 green of the various species of firs. There is abundance of natural 

 hardwood, birch, oak, etc., some of it fair timber, but mixed with 

 much copsewood of hazel and tangled brushwood. Nearing Inver- 

 ness, the hills on the south side fall gradually away before reaching 

 Dores, which gives room for cultivation, but on the north side it 

 is only when the comparatively flat ground through which the 

 Ness runs that there is much cultivation, though between the 

 Dunain woods and Craig Phadrick, which is over 1100 feet in 

 height, the arable ground runs quite up to the top of the hill. 



Though thus shut in by hills, there is only one of any great 

 magnitude. Looking along the almost even outline on the north 

 side, Meall Fuarvounie stands out well and alone, a great mass, 

 round, and with a blunted pinnacle on its summit ; this is a very 

 prominent hill from many places south and east of Inverness. 



About a mile from the town of Inverness two large mounds 



