PHYSICAL FEATURES. 



137 



warning, as we say, is given; perhaps a few floating straws or 

 little bits of drift-wood — because the river makes far too clean a 

 sweep in flood-time to leave much behind as warning for the future. 

 The channel is for ever shifting, causing great expense in restora- 

 tion of embankments and protective work, as is self-evident. Every 

 day during this July month (1891) the soundless stillness, as of end- 

 less weeks of Sabbaths, was over the valley, far removed as it is from 

 the hum of crowded humanity. In July even all bird-voices are 

 hushed, except when a Redshank or an Oyster-catcher starts up 

 from the river banks, and, for some reasons of its own, begins to 

 gabble. Some days not even a trout is seen to move. After a time 

 this soundlessness — at first peaceful and soothing — became almost 

 oppressive. The scenery, though lovely, grew monotonous and 

 somewhat tame. Indeed it was a sleepy and rather thundery week 

 we spent at Tomatin ; disorderly masses of blue-black cloud and 

 rack ranged up around the sky-lines, and silence reigned supreme. 

 The Cushat and almost all other bird-voices were hushed, save 

 only when the Willow-Wren by half-hearted song emphasised the 

 stillness of the birch-woods, or a migratory or vagratory band of 

 Titmice was kept together by the feeble ticeet of its leaders among 

 the pines, or, as we have said, the Eedshank or Oyster-catcher 

 suddenly cried along the river-side or upon the lower hill-slopes, 

 often rising high in the air, as if exercising the young in flight, 

 or spying out their course for their rapidly approaching migra- 

 tion. 



Of the forests of Darnaway and Cawdor, few better accounts 

 can be found than those given by Dr. Robert Carruthers in his 

 Higliland Note-hook, and in numerous articles in The Scottish 

 Arboricultiiral Society's Proceed inr/s, in later years. Many par- 

 ticulars are therein detailed of the various ages of the different 

 portions of the forests, and of the general forestry operations and 

 management, even to the details of the numbers of each kind of 

 tree — oak, larch, Scots fir, and spruce planted, and particulars of 

 other less abundant kinds, such as horse-chestnuts, walnuts, ash, 

 elm, and beech, all under 'the able auspices of Mr. Stables the 

 factor.' 



