198 
BATHYMETRICAL SURVEY OF 
Loch Morar is fed by numerous small burns and streams, the largest 
feeder being the Meoble river, which, issuing from Loch Beoraid, falls 
in, after a course of about 3 miles, at “ Camas Luinge,’’ a bay on the 
south shore. 
On the north shore, about miles from the head of the loch, is a 
large bay called ‘‘ South Tarbet Bay,'’ and here a narrow neck of land 
about half a mile wide separates Loch Nevis from Loch Morar. A 
track which runs up the north shore of Loch Morar to Tarbet on Loch 
Nevis, crosses this neck of land by a narrow pass which rises to a height 
of 200 feet. For a distance of about 6 miles from the west end, the 
loch gradually narrows until a breadth of two-thirds of a mile is attained 
a little to the east of Brinacory island on the north shore, then it 
expands again to a breadth of over a mile opposite the entrance of the 
Meoble river; gradually it narrows again until at its eastern end the 
breadth is about one-third of a mile. 
For a long time Loch Ness bore the reputation of being the deepest 
loch in Scotland, but in the year 1879 Mr. J. Y. Buchanan, f.r.s., 
showed that Loch Morar contained depths of over 1000 feet, which 
was deeper by several hundred feet than Loch Ness. In April, 1887, 
Sir John Murray took a series of 18 soundings down the centre of the 
loch, the greatest depth recorded being 1050 feet. In September of 
the same year he again took 12 soundings at the deepest part of 
the loch, the greatest depth obtained being 1026 feet. All these 
soundings were taken by means of hempen-rope sounding-lines, as 
well as those taken in 1892 by Dr. Thomas Scott, who recorded a 
depth of 1020 feet. In June, 1896, Sir John Murray and the late Mr. 
Fred. P. Pullar made a bathymetrical survey of the whole loch with 
a wire-rope machine, but the chart they prepared was not published, 
as it was found that the machine employed was untrustworthy. It was 
therefore resolved to make a completely new survey. This was carried 
out in June and July, 1902. Since that date the loch has been 
frequently visited by members of the Lake Survey staff for the purpose 
of taking temperatures and making biological observations. 
The surface of the loch at the time the survey was made, in June, 
1902, was 30*5 feet above sea-level, and in March, 1903, the level was 
found to be 35 feet above the sea — a difference in level of 4^ feet. 
Altogether 1100 soundings were taken in the loch, or about 100 
soundings to the square mile; the maximum depth recorded was 1017 
feet. This is less than previous results, but is to be accounted for by 
the use of wire rope, which nearly always gives a lesser depth than 
the soundings with ordinary sounding-lines. The general results are 
set forth on the accompanying map of the loch, with various cross- 
sections. 
Loch Morar is of simple conformation, the bottom falling on all sides 
down to the deepest part, but with here and there a few minor undula- 
