FLORA OF SCOTTISH LAKES 
207 
700 feet above sea-level, with peaty water. The east and west ends 
are silted up with sand, so that there is a considerable area of shallow 
water at both ends, but more especially so at the east end. The 
shores are frequently sandy — more so than is general ; they usually 
enter the water at a gentle inclination, and vegetation is abundant. 
The shallow areas at each end of the loch are often densely carpeted 
with the ordinary plants. The water is of a darker tint than that of 
Loch Ness ; on that account the photic zone does not extend beyond 
-a depth of 23 feet, which, however, includes the greater portion of the 
bottom, as the loch is shallow. At the time of my visit the water was 
much more turbid at the east than at the west end ; this was probably 
due to the shallow area at the west end being of much less extent 
than at the east end. The greatest average depth and bulk of water 
being at the west end, the sediment at the bottom is below the 
influence of the waves. At the east end, however, a large area is 
within this influence, and the sediment is easily raised. Moreover, 
for some days previous to my visit there had been a continuation of 
stiff westerly winds. The flat, sandy shore at the east end is covered 
with moorland vegetation. Looking from the rear of the shore 
towards the water, the foreground is thickly clothed with Calluna 
vulgaris, Myrica Gale, Juncus squari'osus, Nardus stricta, Deschampsia 
flexuosa, Juncus effusus, etc. Nearer the water the plant-covering 
becomes thinner, then isolated clumps of plants stand up out of the 
sand, and finally even these disappear, so that close to the water 
nothing remains but bare sand. At the north-east end of the loch a 
large bay is filled with Equisetum limosum ; its existence here is due 
to the shelter afforded by a wooded hill from the westerly winds, and 
it is interesting to notice how abruptly the association terminates 
where the protection afforded by the hill ends. At the west end of 
the loch there is a large sandy flat several acres in extent ; this is 
almost entirely overgrown with Juncus effusus, the tussocks of which 
are closely compacted, near the water, but thin out considerably as 
the land becomes drier, and finally give way altogether to meadow- 
land. There are also large colonies of Carex rostrata and Phrag- 
mites communis. I have never found elsewhere such an abundance 
of Utricularia vulgaris as occurs at this loch at depths of from 5 to 
10 feet. There was also a great abundance of that fine moss, 
Hypnum scorpioides, app. var. miquelonense, at similar depths. 
Besides those already mentioned, the following plants occur here, and 
this forms a representative list of the flora of other lochs in this 
district : — Littorella lacustris, I^obelia Dortmanna, Isoetes lacustris, 
Fontinalis antipyretica, Nitella opaca, Chara fragilis, var. delicatula, 
Myriophyllum alterniflorum, Juncus fluitans, Potamogeton pusillus, 
P. lucens, P. praslon^us, P. polygon ifoli us, P. natans, Callitriche 
