NOTES ON SOME SCOTTISH SALMONID^) 79 



through marshy meadows like a ditch. I sent half a dozen 

 of these little fishes to Dr. Day, and he reported upon them 

 some little time afterwards. He named them Variety 

 Crasspuil Trout (v. Day's "British Fishes," vol. ii. p. 100), 

 and he endeavoured to figure one in his " British Salmonidae," 

 but not, I think, doing justice to the beauty and mother-of- 

 pearl-like brilliancy of the under part, nor the vivid green 

 of the back. Of course, the ones we sent must have " gone 

 off colour " very appreciably when travelling between 

 Durness and Cheltenham. 



Close to Loch Crasspuil is Loch Borralaidh, which is 

 likewise a sandy loch with bright green weeds. Like the 

 Alt Smoo, the waters of this loch dive under ground in the 

 limestone and gush up again on the margin at the head of 

 Loch Crasspuil. In this loch there are no trout, but many 

 char, which, we were assured, grow to about i and i^ Ibs. 

 in weight. 



Of many varieties of what are known as tidal trout 

 which I have met with in many localities in Sutherland 

 and in the Hebrides and elsewhere, I found those at the 

 mouth of the Dionard river near Durness were recognised 

 by the natives and called " Brown Sea Trout." These are, 

 however, simply river trout which have, as in all other places, 

 I believe, become acclimatised to the sea pools or brackish 

 water, and have taken on to some extent the silvery appear- 

 ance of sea-trout. But the silveriness of those I obtained 

 was nothing compared to that of the Crasspuil trout, which 

 have long since failed to reach the sea. The vomer of these 

 was toothed, having a double row of about 12 to 14 teeth. 

 These tidal trout of the Dionard reach weights varying 

 from ^ Ib. to i|- Ib. I got nothing over |- Ib. I shall 

 have more to say about tidal trout again. 



LOCH SEAN TROUT. 



Near the entrance of Loch Erribol, on the north coast of 

 Sutherland, is a loch called Loch Sean, which I visited on 

 the i 8th of June 1882. It is separated from the sea only 

 by a ridge of gravel and loose stones, through which the 

 tides work, and the loch is therefore brackish. At high 



