PHYSICAL FEATURES. 



109 



interest. The Deveron runs below Huntly through the policies 

 around Huntly Lodge and the old ruins of the ancient Huntly 

 Castle, and is joined by the Bogie. It flows on under the handsome 

 bridge of the Great North of Scotland Railway at Rothiemay 

 Station, past the House of Avochie, and is then joined by the Isla, 

 its largest tributar>^ on the left bank. A long deep reach of the 

 river above Rothiemay forms a dam to supply power to drive one 

 of the oldest and quaintest meal-mills in Scotland, and below 

 breaks into a succession of streams, affording the loveliest reaches 

 of trouting water, passes through Rothiemay property, and so on 

 through Corniehaugh and Mayen, and Garronhaugh to Mamoch 

 Bridge, where it makes many curious doublings and eccentric 

 curves, and, as is well known in the district, forms a trap for 

 flotsam with marvellous certainty. Most of the wood-work of the 

 old Rothiemay Bridge was washed away by a heavy flood during 

 the course of construction, and was carted back again from the 

 bends above Marnoch Bridge. The wooded banks of both sides 

 stretch far up the bases of the hills, the principal in size of the 

 latter being the Fourman's Hill opposite Rothiemay; and the 

 generally wooded features continue all the remaining distance to 

 Banff, past Netherdale and Turriff. At the Bridge of Alvah, 

 within the policies of Duff Castle, the deepest pot or pool of the 

 Deveron is formed by a high and narrow gorge through solid rock, 

 — which is said to have been carried as far down beneath the 

 surface of the water as the height of the rock is above the surface ; 

 a depth from the top of the rock to the bottom of the pot of 120 

 feet, giving the depth of water at 60 feet. — The formation of this 

 pot in some degree resembles that formed in a similar way by the 

 river Spey at the Pass of Sourdan. Below the Bridge of Alvah the 

 river flows deep and sluggish beneath hanging woods which clothe 

 both precipitous banks for the distance of about two miles until 

 the Duke of Fife's salmon cruives are reached — forming a huge 

 deep dam or * stank looking black and gloomy but nevertheless a 

 favourite haunt of many very tame wild-fowl which are never fired 

 at here nor in any way molested. On the occasion of our visit to 



^ * Stank,' local name in north-east of Scotland for a dead, long, still reach of 

 river. 



