110 A VERTEBRATE FAUNA OF THE MORAY BASIN. 



the policies of Duff House, and while following the winding path 

 which runs along the river bank, often scarped out of the precipi- 

 tous face above the stank, we could see the Wild Ducks, Teal 

 Coots, Waterhens, and Little Grebes on the water below us by 

 peeping through the interstices of the hanging wood. Released 

 from the shelving rocks and cruive cuttings at the netting station, 

 the river Deveron flows on somewhat more streamily through the 

 park and haughs round Duff House and close to the town of Banff, 

 passing under the bridge which bears the road between Banff and 

 Macduff, and then finds itself during very dry seasons barred by an 

 extensive and high bed of shingle, a feature so commonly observed 

 at the mouths of all the principal rivers which flow into the 

 Moray Firth from the south. The river below the bridge bends at 

 right angles nearly with its former course and flows nearly due 

 west, a distance of several hundred yards, and finally cuts a way 

 through the channel to the sea close to the harbour of Banff. 

 Formerly the Deveron cut its way straight towards the Macduff 

 end of the Bar, and indeed it has been subject, and may again 

 become subjected, to other alterations of a similar nature.^ 



More shortly, and for purposes of convenience in referring to 

 the distribution of the species, we propose to divide the Deveron 

 valley into three main districts, viz. : — 



Upper Deveron (U.D.), from its sources and watersheds down 

 to Beldorney where the river changes its character for a space and 

 runs through the narrow and picturesque gorge. 



Middle Deveron (M.D.), from Beldorney down to the junction 

 of the river Isla and the watersheds thereof. 



Lower Deveron (L.D.), from the junction of river Isla below 

 Avochie ^ to the sea at Banff. 



For further convenience we may still subdivide Upper Deveron 

 into two districts or sub-districts, of sufficiently distinct character, 

 viz. : — Upper Cabrach (U.C.) and Lower Cabrach (L.C.), the upper 



1 There appears to be good evidence that the Deveron joined the sea close to 

 MacduflF, i. e. at the east end of the present ' bar, ' or raised bed of shingle, which 

 stretches across the bay opposite the inner basin — (v. Summer Excursions in the 

 neighbourhood of Banff, 1843 : Banff. ), Notes, p. 35. 



2 Avochie = Avoca = The meeting of the waters (?). 



