of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 
187 
teristic feature of the land, both on the north and south sides of the loch, 
is the accumulations of stones, gravel, and sand constituting the raised 
beaches, one of which, on the south side, is 42 feet above the level of the 
sea. At the upper anchorage on the north side, and opposite this high 
raised beach, I obtained specimens of oysters in water about 5 fathoms 
deep. Between Gleann Righ Beag and Cumhainu M6r the average 
depth is 3 to 4 fathoms, but in the latter basin the water quickly deepens 
to 16 fathoms. While the area of this Jura loch is restricted, it has 
produced oysters in the past, and can produce them in the future. The 
bottom shows, besides rocks, a varied composition of mud, sand, shells, 
and gravel. 
Loch Creran, to the north of Loch Etive, is about 6 miles long from 
the island of Eriskay to the head, and is divided into two basins by the 
narrows at Crigan, the portion of the loch above this being nearly 2 miles 
in length. There are three central depressions in the loch — one above 
Crigan Narrows, 12 to 17 fathoms deep; one opposite Ru Aird-nan-clach, 
10 to 13 fathoms; and one extending from above Shian to above Rudha 
Garbh, which at one spot is 27 fathoms deep. The average depth of 
the upper half of the basin below Crigan Narrows is about 8 fathoms, 
and it does not differ much from this in the upper loch, but there is a 
shallow belt along both shores of the loch. Mud abounds in the deepest 
parts, but there are sand, gravel, and shells shorewards. This loch is 
quite protected, and the most complete and careful experiments in oyster 
culture ever made in Scotland were conducted in this loch by Mr Anderson 
Smith. 
Loch Spelve, in the south-east of Mull, opens to the east-south-east, and 
has a narrow and shallow entrance. There are two arms to the loch, the 
northern having a depth of about 14 fathoms at the mouth and about 8 
fathoms in the centre, shallowing to 4 and 2 fathoms close to the shore. 
The southern arm, on the other hand, is deeper, and the shallow belt 
along the shore is very narrow. Mud abounds on the bottom of this loch 
in both arms. 
Loch-na-Kealj Mull, opens to the westward, and is about 6 miles long. 
It is protected partially by Ulva and Inchkenneth at the mouth, and the 
island of Eorsa, nearly half way up, forms a barrier against the Atlantic 
swell. Above Eorsa the greatest depth is 12 or 13 fathoms, except for a 
small distance along the north shore, where a sudden depth of 19 fathoms 
interrupts. The 10-fathom line extends more than half way between Eorsa 
and the head of the loch, but above this the average depth is about 6 
fathoms, the loch very gradually shallowing shorewards. The ground in 
this latter part is chiefly sand and shells, and in the lower reaches of the 
loch mud abounds. On the south side of the loch, opposite Bein Greig, 
numerous rocks and skeirs abound, as also is the case in the neighbour- 
hood of Inchkenneth, inside of which is a deep depression reaching to 
14 fathoms. 
Loch Scridaiuj Mull, also opens to the westward, and is about 6 miles 
long. It is open and exposed to west winds, and it is a deep loch, the 
20-fathom line extending as high up as Kilfinichen Bay, within 2 miles of 
the head of the loch. The 10-fathom line goes more than half the distance 
from Kilfinichen towards the head of the loch. This central depression 
in the loch extends across more than half the breadth of the loch. At the 
head of the loch there is a small loch called Loch Beag, about half a mile 
in length and one-third mile in breadth. This is the highest part of Loch 
Scridain, and the depth of it does not average above 1 fathom. Mud 
abounds, especially in the deeper parts of the loch, but sand and rocks are 
plentiful shorewards. 
