of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



343 



The Moray Firth Area. 



In the second area, that of the Moray Firth, a large number of 

 bottles and wooden drifters were put into the sea. They divide them- 

 selves pretty sharply into two groups, according to whether they were set 

 adrift to the westward or to the eastward of a line running in a southerly 

 direction from Duncansby Head to the mouth of the river Spey — that is 

 to say, a little to the westward of the third degree of longitude west of 

 Greenwich. Those set adrift to the west of this line, especially if near 

 the shore, took various courses within the area as they did in the confined 

 waters of the Firth of Forth. As a rule they moved westwards, and Up 

 along the coast in a north-west direction. Their course was just what 

 might be expected from the influence of an eddy setting westwards from 

 the neighbourhood of the mouth of the Spey, and subject to the action 

 of the winds and tides. The other group put away to the east of the 

 imaginary line referred to belong to quite a different class. The great 

 majority (50) travelled southward, and were stranded on the coast of 

 Banff and Aberdeen, which runs from the west to the east. Two were 

 found on the east coast of Aberdeen, and one on the Orkney Isles, to 

 the north, which occurred in connection with the exceptional movement 

 of the water in December 1896 and January 1897, to be referred to later. 

 Ten were found on the south-west coast of Norway ; and only two to the 

 west of the imaginary line parallel to the 3° of west longitude \ but 

 there is some doubt in the latter cases. The particulars are summed 

 up in the following Table, which shows, of course, only the drifters which 

 were recovered : — ■ 



I. 



Set Adrift to the West of the 

 Line — 



1. Found within the area, . 



2. „ to the eastward,* 



3. ,, in Shetland, 



II. Set Adrift to the East of the 

 Line — 



54 



1. 



Found to the westward, . 



2 



4 



2 t 



,, on the south coast 





1 





of Moray Firth, 



50 





3. 



,, on east coast of 









Scotland, . 



5 





4. 



,, in Orkney, 



1 





5. 



,, off the east coast 









of England, 



1 





6. 



,, in S.W. Norway, 



10 





7. 



,, in Sweden, 



2 





8. 



,, in Denmark, 



0 



59 







71 



It is clear from this tabulation that the general movement of the water 

 from Duncansby Head and the south part of the Orkneys is southward. 

 It impinges on the coasts of Banff and Aberdeen, and the great mass is 

 then deflected to some extent eastwards, but a part goes westwards 

 along the coast. It will be noticed that only five drifters were picked 

 up on the east coast of Scotland, all on the east coast of Aberdeen. 

 Three of these were set adrift on 22nd July 1896, 8 miles N.N.E, 

 of Troup Head, Banffshire, therefore not very far within the Firth. They 

 were carried in a south-east direction round Kinnaird Head ; one was 

 found, 4 days later, on Rattray Head, 24 miles distant, another on the 

 sixth day 7 miles farther south, and the third, a month later, between 

 the other two ; it had, no doubt, been lying most of the time among the 

 rocks. The wind during the period of flotation was not very marked ; 

 * These were put in very near the line. 



