the Forth Naturalist and Historian Volume 18 3 The Weather of 1994 - S. J. Harrison. 13 A Bathymetric Resurvey of the Lake of Menteith - Silke F. K. Wewetzer. 21 Forth Area Bird Report 1994 - C. J. Henty. 55 Book Review - The University of Stirling ... by R. G. Bomont. 56 Book Reviews and Notes (Naturalist) - Extinct Encounter (butterfly); SNH's Boglands, and Natura 2000, and Loch Lomond to Stirling (landscape). 57 The Wintering Birds of Two Contrasting Farming Landscapes - C. J. Henty. 66 Book Review and Notes (Naturalist) - A Scottish Strategy for Environmental Education. 'MFMM' ornithologist extraordinary; Birds of the Endrick Mouth; Old Cornstone Workings. 67 Forestry in the Ochils - Syd House. 74 Book Reviews and Notes (Historical) - The Hillfoots ... by Ian Murray; The Noblest Jacobite ... by A. K. Smith; Stirling the Royal Burgh by Craig Mair. 75 The Founding of Thornhill in 1696 - G. A. Dixon. 83 Joseph Denovan Adam (1842-1896), Animal Painter. People of the Forth (8) - Maria Devaney. 93 Clan Gregor and its Settlement in Rannoch, a Review of Traditional Sources - Sheila McGregor. 108 Further Notes on the District of Mentheith. 1 The Cunninghame Graham Country. People of the Forth (9) - Louis Stott. 117 Early Textile Industry and Planned Villages in the Endrick Valley - J. Leiper. 126 Book Reviews and Notes - History of Dunblane by Batty; Polmaise 3 and 4. Mining Fatalities by A. Bone; William Wallace in Film and History. 127 The First School Board of Tulliallan, 1873-76; Uneasy Transition from Church to State - Andrew Bain. 138 Book Reviews and Notes - Stirling, a Stroll Down Memory Lane by Elma Lindsay; Discovering West Lothian by W. F. Hendrie; Two Ladies and their Garden by Hilary Gunkel; Seeking Mr Hyde, Studies in Robert Louis Stevenson by Tom Hubbard; The Life and Times of Falkirk by Ian Scott; The Ochils - place names, history, tradition oy Angus Watson. 139 Authors' Addresses. 140 Forth Naturalist and Historian publications list. 2 Forth Naturalist and Historian, volume 18 Published by the Forth Naturalist and Historian, University of Stirling - an ap- proved charity and member of the Scottish Publishers Association. ISSN 0309-7560 EDITORIAL BOARD Stirling University - D. McLusky (Chairman), D. Bryant, N. Dix and J. Proctor, Biological Sciences; S. J. Harrison, Environmental Sciences; N. Tranter, History. K. J. H. Mackay, R. McCutcheon, J. M. Allan. Honorary Editor/Secretary Lindsay Corbett, the University and 30 Dunmar Drive, Alloa. Consultant: George Thomson, College of Art and Design, Cumbria, Carlisle. ISBN 1 898008 07 8 Single copies may be taken of single articles provided due acknowledgement is made and the copies are for non-profit education or private use. Supported by BP in Scotland. Cover photograph 'Cattle, 1878' by Joseph Denovan Adam (Smith Art Gallery and Museum, Stirling). Printed by Meigle Printers Ltd., Tweedbank Industrial Estate, Galashiels. Set in Zapf Calligraphic on 90gsm Fyneprint and Cream Astralux cover. Forth Naturalist and Historian, volume 18 3 THE WEATHER OF 1994 S J Harrison University of Stirling History will probably record 1994 as a wet year as floods were an all too l.imilitir feature, particularly in March which, for much of Scotland, was the wettest since records began. Local rivers overtopped their banks no less than lour times within the month. The year finished with two wet months and over the weekend of l0th/llth December the Scottish football programme was I.ny,ely washed out, and there was severe flooding in Glasgow. However, the VIMI was not entirely saturated, May being remarkably dry. As far as temperatures were concerned, spring and summer were generally rather cool .ind the growing season was late in getting under way. In sharp contrast, November and December were remarkably mild, the former being 3°C warmer than average. Temperature and rainfall values in the following refer to Parkhead unless otherwise indicated. January . Unsettled and wet. Cold Arctic air affected Scotland over the first five days bringing snow to high ground. There was a spell of generally wet and windy weather until the 14lh when the clouds cleared. Night temperatures fell below freezing and there were moderate frosts on the 15th, 16th and 17th, the air temperature l.illing to - 4.5°C in Bridge of Allan by the morning of the 16th. There was a dr.imatic rise in temperature on the 18th and a persistent, and often very strong, westerly wind blew for the next six days. Blustery showers fell as snow, .illhough none accumulated on ground below 500ft (152m). There was a brief respite on the 24th but gales and rain returned on the 25th. The wind veered towards the north on the 27th and temperatures were low in the Arctic air. Snow fell overnight but this lay to a depth of only 10mm in the Forth valley by the morning of the 29th. The wind backed to a milder south-westerly direction .iller the 29th and temperatures recovered a little by the end of the month. February . Cold and dull. Unsettled wet weather continued into February and 24.1mm of rainfall was recorded in Bridge of Allan over the first two days. By the 2nd, the Allan had overtopped its banks. There was a very strong easterly wind in central Scotland on the 3rd. The 9th and 10th were brighter but cloud and rain returned again on the llth. After the llth most of the British Isles was affected by a strong and bitterly cold easterly airstream, which persisted until the 18th. There were snow flurries on the 14th, but on the 15th the snow had become heavy and continuous, and the daytime temperature reached only 2.3°C. However, by the evening of the 15th the depth of snow was little more than 20mm on low 4 S. J. Harrison ground. No further snow fell but, as the clouds cleared, night temperatures fell very sharply and reached -9.5°C by the morning of the 17th (-10.4°C Bridge of Allan). The snow cover froze and lasted until the 18th when the cloud cover returned and improved night temperatures. Daytime temperatures, however, remained low, rising to only 0.6°C on the 20th. A cold continental easterly airstream became re-established from the 20th and snow began to fall again. However, central Scotland escaped the worst of the snow, which affected mainly northern England and southern Scotland. By the 25th, the Met Office was issuing severe weather warnings for Scotland and on the 26th several main roads were impassable in Grampian and Highland Regions. By the end of the month it was the wettest and dullest February since 1923 in parts of eastern and southern Scotland. March . An exceptionally wet month. The first two days were relatively calm but from the 2nd there was a protracted period of unsettled and exceptionally wet weather. After 18.2mm of rain had fallen on the 4th (20.8mm Bridge of Allan) the Allan was in flood by the 5th. The weather remained windy and very wet until the 8th by which time the Allan was in flood again for the second time within a week. While the wind remained in the south-west, temperatures remained relatively high and the night temperature only fell to 7.7°C in Bridge of Allan on the 7th/8th. Rain occasionally turned to sleet or snow in blustery showers but the snowline remained above 1000ft (305m) on the Ochil Hills. Rain fell again on the 12th and 13th (27.7mm) and the Allan was again in flood by the 14th. The wind veered westerly then north-westerly from the 15th bringing much colder weather with snow. The snowline on the Ochil Hills dropped to 100ft (31m) on the 16th but had retreated to 1500ft (457m) by the 19th, which was a bright and sunny day. There were moderate overnight air frosts between the 18th and 21st and the grass minimum temperature in Bridge of Allan fell below -5°C. Heavy continuous rain fell from the late afternoon of the 22nd to mid-day on the 23rd, by which time the Allan was in flood for the fourth time in three weeks. The 25th and 26th were sunny and pleasantly warm days, reaching 13.1°C in Bridge of Allan. The interlude was, however, brief as wind and rain returned during the afternoon of the 27th. By the end of the month this had been the wettest March of the century in western Scotland. April . Cool and unsettled. Winds were generally fresh west to north-west for the first nine days. The weather was cold and rather unsettled during this period and heavy snow fell on the 4th. Rain on the 8th fell as snow above 500ft (152m). The 12th to 15th were sunny but the 16th and 17th were rather dull with some light drizzle at times. Between the 18th and 21st there were showers which fell as snow over the Grampians. After the following few days were mild with a fresh south westerly breeze and occasional rain. The end of the month was sunny and warm (16.0°C Parkhead, 17.6°C Bridge of Allan). May . Very dry and sunny. Weather 1994 5 The first day was sunny and warm but clouds in a mild south-easterly airstream deposited small quantities of orange dust in the Stirling area on the 2nd. The weather then remained unsettled until the 6th. There were heavy showers on the 8th with thunder in the late afternoon. The wind settled in the east from the 10th and temperatures rose in the relatively dry continental air, reaching 20.7°C in Bridge of Allan on the 14th.