THE FRESH-WATER LOCHS OF SCOTLAND. 
135 
Loch is about 635 acres, of Talla reservoir about 299 acres, and of 
the Loch of the Lowes about 99 acres, the aggregate area covered by 
the three lochs being about 1| square miles; the maximum depth of 
St. Mary’s Loch is 153 feet, of Talla reservoir 73 feet, and of the Loch 
of the Lowes 58 feet. These lochs are situated among the moorland 
hills of the Southern Uplands of Scotland, the highest point being Broad 
Law (2754 feet), the scenery of the district being pastoral in character. 
The fishing in St. Mary’s Loch and the Loch of the Lowes includes trout, 
pike, and perch, while the fishing in Talla reservoir is governed by 
regulations drawn up by the W^ater Trust. 
Talla Reservoir (see Plate XLyill.). — Talla reservoir is situated 
about 10 miles north of Moffat, 14 miles south of Peebles, and about 
20 miles west of Selkirk, lying in a narrow valley, with high hills, smooth, 
grassy, and round-topped, on both sides. The valley rises very steeply at 
the head of the loch, and the inflowing river descends by a series of 
cascades — the “ Talla Linns ” ; there was formerly a bog on the site of the 
lower part of the loch. The Act of Parliament authorizing the construction 
of this reservoir was passed in 1895, and ten years later the work was 
completed. A huge embankment, 1300 feet in length, 600 feet in breadth 
across the base and tapering to 20 feet in breadth across the top, was thrown 
across the valley, the top of the embankment being 957 feet above sea- 
level, and 7 feet above the sill of the waste weir, which is 200 feet in 
length. On the date of the survey (July 24, 1906) the surface of the 
water in the reservoir was 3J feet below the sill at the overflow, or 
946’5 feet above the sea. 
Talla reservoir * trends from south-east to north-west, and is 2J miles 
in length, the maximum breadth exceeding a quarter of a mile, while the 
mean breadth is about one-fifth of a mile. The superficial area is about 
299 acres, or nearly half a square mile, and the drainage area extends to 
about 10 square miles. The principal feeders are the Gameshope burn 
and the Talla water entering at the head of the reservoir, while the over- 
flow is carried by the Talla water into the river Tweed at Tweedsmuir. 
The maximum depth of 73 feet was observed quite near the embankment 
at the northern end, whence the water shoals gradually towards the head. 
The volume of water is estimated at 443 million cubic feet, and the mean 
depth at 34| feet. 
The following notes on the stocking of the Talla reservoir with life 
are supplied by Mr. James Murray : — 
“ It was thought that the formation of the Talla reservoir would give a 
good opportunity to study the incoming of life to a lake, and it was intended 
to make as frequent visits as circumstances permitted, with that object. 
* We are indebted to Mr. W. A. Tait, c.e., the engineer of the Edinburgh and 
District Water Trust, for permission to trace the outline of the reservoir, reproduced 
in the accompanying map (Plate XLVIII.). 
