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there a gentle pool, reflecting as a silver mirror the colours of the marginal 
vegetation — a thing of exquisite beauty — and ever and anon a black, deep 
hole that almost induces a shudder as the eye catches the faint light glimmer- 
ing from cavernous recess of horrid rock. Pushing upwards, we reach the 
top, and here what a sight awaits ! Great masses of ancient peat, worn 
into deep gullies by the storms of ages, almost bare of vegetation, black and 
grim ; and lying beyond. Loch Enoch, with its shores of silver sand, and its 
clear, sparkling water reflecting the adjacent mountains like a speculum. 
Loch Enoch is 1617 feet above sea level, and is the most elevated of a 
series of unique alpine lochs situated in a singularly rugged mountain 
district. It occupies a very wind-exposed position, which probably accounts 
for the sand of its shores being; finer than that of other lochs in the district. 
Its outline is very irregular ; and there are several small islands, the largest 
of which has upon it a small pool, hence the name Loch-in-loch, of which its 
better-known name — Loch Enoch — is said to be a contraction. There are 
several bays that have a shore of beautiful white sand produced from the 
disintegrated syenitic granite of which these mountains are largely com- 
posed. Nearly all the lochs of this district possess similar shores of white 
sand, but that of Loch Enoch is finer than any other, and is prized above 
all by shepherds, far and near, for the purpose of sharpening their scythes, 
although those living in this district frequently use that from the nearest 
loch for the same purpose. The scythe is used for the purpose of cutting 
the uncultivated Molinia cserulea, called “ bog-hay ” or “ blow-grass ” of the 
moors, for feeding the sheep and cattle during winter, the rough or boggy 
nature of the ground excluding the use of the modern mowing-machine for 
this purpose. To sharpen a scythe, a strip of wood about 18 inches long 
by 3 inches wide is smeared with butter, which is then sprinkled with 
sand, and used in a similar way to the ordinary whetstone. Others stick 
the sand to the wood with glue ; the latter, however, has to be purchased, 
whilst the former is a home product of no monetary value. 
The shores of Loch Enoch, with the exception of the sandy bays, are 
rocky, and the water is exceptionally clear and sparkling, although slightly 
peaty. The flora is very poor in species. On the west side Sparganium 
natans is abundant in bays ; there are also several small associations of 
Carex rostrata in bays on the west and north sides. Isoetes lacustris, 
Lobelia Dortmanna, and Littorella lacustris carpet the bottom in places. 
Juncus fluitans is very abundant, whilst Myriophyllum alterniflorum is 
scarce ; Batrachospermum vagum is abundant, and in some places the sub- 
mersed rocks are thickly covered with Zygogonium ericetorum or Nardia 
compressa. The littoral Phanerogams, besides those already mentioned, 
