THE FRESH-WATER LOCHS OF SCOTLAND. 
379 
LOCHS OF THE NESS BASIN. 
The basin of the river Ness is one of the most important of Scottish 
river-basins, not so much on account of the area drained, which is small 
when compared with the areas drained by the Tay, Tweed, Clyde, and 
Spey, for instance, but because it includes within its boundaries the 
largest body of fresh water in Scotland (Loch Ness), as well as several 
other large lochs and numerous small ones. The basin extends from 
the mouth of the river Ness, at the junction of the inner Moray firth 
with the Beauly firth, in lat. 57° 30' N. to lat. 57° N., south of Loch 
Quoich, and from long. 5°30' W., west of Loch Quoich, to long. 4° 10' W., 
south-east of Inverness. The total area, as measured with the plani- 
meter on the 1-inch Ordnance Survey maps, is about 722 square miles, 
and of this by far the larger portion drains into Loch Ness, for the 
area draining into the river Ness, and into Loch Ashie which flows 
directly into the river Ness, is only about 36 square miles. With the 
exception of Loch Ashie, the superfluent waters from all the lochs 
within the basin find their way into Loch Ness, so that the total area 
draining into Loch Ness is about 686 square miles. The area drained 
by the tributary lochs, excluding Loch Ness, is about 354 square miles, 
leaving about 332 -square miles draining directly unto Loch Ness, 
independent of the other lochs. 
The principal river-systems within the basin lie to the west of Loch 
Ness, viz. the Enrick, which flows through Glen Urquhart into Loch 
Ness at Urquhart bay, where it is joined by the shorter river Coiltie ; 
the Moriston, with its tributaries the Clunie and the Loyne, which 
flows through Glen Moriston into Loch Ness at Invermoriston ; the 
Garry, with its tributaries the Quoich and the Kingie, which flows 
through Glen Garry into Loch Oich at Invergarry, and thence by the 
Oich into the head of Loch Ness at Fort Augustus. To the south of 
Loch Ness lies the Tarff, also entering Loch Ness near Fort Augustus; 
and to the east lies the Foyers, with its tributaries the Breinag and the 
Fechlin, which flows into Loch Ness at Foyers, and the Farigaig, which 
enters Loch Ness at Inverfarigaig. Finally, to the north-east of Loch 
Ness lies the Allt Mor (or Big Burn), draining Loch Ashie, which flows 
into the river Ness 2 or 3 miles below Inverness, while’ the river Ness, 
after issuing from Loch Dochfour, at the northern end of Loch Ness, 
