70 A VERTEBRATE FAUNA OF THE MORAY BASIN. 



intervals as he swam along the bottom of the stream, in which, 

 even thus late, several pairs of fish were spawning, and this close 

 to the main bridge in the town. 



Bird-life is fairly abundant along the banks of the river. On 

 a gravelly shoal not far from Dochgarroch a few pairs of Terns, 

 apparently S. hirundo, breed, and, at the head of the Holm Pool, a 

 single pair of Oyster-catchers. Sand-Martins are numerous, and 

 on the islands a colony of Eooks have established themselves. 



Neither the loch nor the river ever freeze. The prevailing wind 

 is from some point of west, and this, pouring through the Great 

 Glen as through a tunnel, brings with it the west coast moisture, 

 of which Inverness has more than its share in comparison with 

 other places on the east coast. The climate is mild, and most of 

 the ordinary shrubs and trees grow well, but the want of really 

 good soil is a great drawback, as this has in most cases to be 

 brought in to make a garden. 



VII. THE COAST-LINE FKOM CAIENBULG POINT 

 TO FINDHOEN. 



Harvie-Brown, having commenced his survey of the southern 

 portion in the extreme east or north-east of it, and Buckley having 

 begun his in the extreme north of the northern portion, the account 

 from this point does not run continuously, from a geographical 

 point of view, as regards the coast-lines and sequence of the river 

 basins. Leaving this part discontinuous with the treatment of the 

 Ness Valley, we go to the extreme north-east point of our whole 

 area, which juts out into the North Sea, and proceed westward 

 till our descriptions join again at the Great Glen. 



In May 1887, whilst residing at Fraserburgh, Harvie-Brown 

 paid a visit to the coast-line between that town and the fishing 

 village of Gamrie or Gardenstown. This entailed a drive and 

 various scrambling walks, which occupied a long day — from 

 1 1 A.M. to 11 P.M. 



