'992 Proceedings of Royal Society of Edinburgh. [sess. 
the active roots ; thence to the top of the chair -hack are the 
combined rhizomes, bearing above the leaves and flowers. I 
noticed about this bay a quantity of Sparganium natans that for 
several days had their flowers submerged by the raising of the 
water level through floods. No doubt but such accidental 
submersions of their inflorescences induce in aquatic plants a 
disuse of sexuality, as previously remarked upon. The inflowing 
burn at Inchnacardoch Bay is rather remarkable in that it entirely 
disappears into the ground during dry weather, within the space 
of a few yards, owing to its course at that part being through an 
ancient lacustrine beach, formed by Loch Ness before its water had 
sunk to the present level, through the gradual reduction of the 
level of the outflow, between Lochend and South Kessock, by 
■erosion. Anent this subject, it occurred to me when at XJrquhart 
Bay, that the reduction of level undergone by Loch Ness since 
itlie building of XJrquhart Castle might be measured. This castle 
was built on a small rocky peninsular, or perhaps island at the 
■time ; at any rate a moat was made by cutting through the neck 
of the peninsular. The apparent bottom of this moat is now 
several feet above the level of Loch Ness, notwithstanding the 
surface of the loch being raised 10 feet or thereby at the time of 
the construction of the Caledonian Canal. By careful excavation 
.the original bottom of the moat might be found ; allowing for a 
.sufficient depth of water above that bottom, we should have 
.approximately the level of Loch Ness at the building of the 
■castle, from which, to the level of the loch, previous to its 
being raised by the canal construction, we should arrive at the 
reduction of level undergone since the building of the castle. 
Returning to the burn at Inchnacardoch Bay, below the point 
•of its disappearance, its bed is thickly covered with very large 
plants of Eontinalis antipyretica ; although no water can pass 
except in time of flood (fig. 13). I also noticed near this bay an 
interesting example of seed dispersal, Calluna vulgaris and other 
moor plants being covered with the seeds of Eriophorum poly- 
■stachion, blown thence by the westerly winds from an adjacent 
marsh (fig. 14). 
At the northern side of Inchnacardoch Bay the shore is unique 
•as to Loch Ness. It is rather flat, is composed of boulders and 
