﻿36 
  

  

  INTRODUCTION. 
  

  

  and 
  Lesser 
  Terns, 
  Eider, 
  and 
  the 
  Sheldrake 
  ; 
  and 
  among 
  these 
  

   hillocks, 
  in 
  1888, 
  Sand 
  Grouse 
  congregated 
  in 
  numbers. 
  The 
  

   loch 
  was 
  formerly 
  connected 
  with 
  the 
  sea 
  at 
  the 
  eastern 
  

   end, 
  but 
  the 
  communication 
  is 
  now 
  cut 
  off. 
  It 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  

   have 
  been 
  blown 
  full 
  of 
  sand 
  in 
  one 
  night. 
  Some 
  recent 
  

   writers 
  state 
  that 
  the 
  loch 
  has 
  now 
  no 
  communication 
  

   with 
  the 
  sea, 
  but 
  near 
  the 
  western 
  end 
  is 
  a 
  wide 
  stream 
  

   flowing 
  from 
  the 
  loch, 
  up 
  which 
  come 
  Sea 
  Trout 
  and 
  

   Flounders, 
  affording 
  good 
  sport 
  for 
  anglers. 
  Generally 
  speak- 
  

   ing, 
  the 
  loch 
  is 
  shallow, 
  being 
  about 
  3f 
  feet 
  deep, 
  and 
  this 
  

   induced 
  a 
  Mr. 
  Sellar, 
  about 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  eighteenth 
  century, 
  

   to 
  attempt 
  to 
  drain 
  it. 
  Fortunately 
  he 
  failed, 
  and 
  thus 
  was 
  

   preserved 
  the 
  finest 
  water 
  resort 
  of 
  wild 
  fowl 
  that 
  exists 
  

   on 
  the 
  east 
  coast 
  of 
  Scotland. 
  

  

  Besides 
  the 
  sheets 
  of 
  water 
  named, 
  several 
  have 
  disap- 
  

   peared 
  within 
  historic 
  times, 
  viz., 
  the 
  Black 
  Loch 
  of 
  Tilly- 
  

   desk, 
  which 
  existed 
  about 
  four 
  centuries 
  ago, 
  and 
  afterwards 
  

   became 
  a 
  moss 
  ; 
  the 
  Loch 
  of 
  Old 
  Aberdeen 
  (a 
  sheet 
  of 
  water 
  

   some 
  acres 
  in 
  extent), 
  which 
  was 
  situated 
  near 
  to 
  where 
  

   the 
  Botanic 
  Garden 
  now 
  is, 
  and 
  existed 
  until 
  about 
  1730; 
  

   while 
  the 
  Loch 
  of 
  New 
  Aberdeen, 
  an 
  extensive 
  sheet 
  that 
  

   lay 
  on 
  the 
  north-west 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  city, 
  remained 
  till 
  

   about 
  1710, 
  when 
  it 
  was 
  acquired 
  by 
  the 
  Tontine 
  Com- 
  

   pany 
  for 
  building 
  purposes. 
  Of 
  the 
  last 
  loch, 
  more 
  will 
  

   be 
  said 
  when 
  we 
  have 
  the 
  Black 
  -headed 
  Gull 
  under 
  

   consideration. 
  Further, 
  within 
  the 
  past 
  fifty 
  years, 
  the 
  

   Loch 
  of 
  Leys, 
  near 
  Banchory, 
  the 
  Loch 
  of 
  Pottertown, 
  to 
  the 
  

   north 
  of 
  Aberdeen, 
  and 
  the 
  Loch 
  of 
  Auchlossan, 
  near 
  Aboyne, 
  

   have 
  also 
  vanished. 
  The 
  two 
  latter, 
  in 
  their 
  time, 
  were 
  

   extensive 
  breeding 
  places 
  of 
  the 
  Black-headed 
  Gull, 
  Ducks, 
  

   and 
  other 
  water 
  fowl. 
  

  

  The 
  Valley 
  of 
  the 
  Dee 
  is 
  about 
  seventy 
  miles 
  in 
  length, 
  

   and 
  around 
  the 
  infant 
  waters 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  stand 
  the 
  highest 
  

   mountains 
  within 
  our 
  district, 
  those 
  of 
  greatest 
  altitude 
  

   being 
  Ben 
  Muich 
  Dhui, 
  Braeriach, 
  and 
  Cairn 
  Toul. 
  Viewed 
  

  

  