NOTES ON SOME SCOTTISH SALMONID^E 81 



The next trout I desire to speak about are the Parr- 

 marked Trout of the Goberneasgach Deer Forest and the 

 Hump-backed Trout of the same district. 



PARR-MARKED TROUT. 



On a fine warm night in July I camped out by the side 

 of Loch na Sgeirach, or " The Loch of the Parr-marked Trout." 

 I was accompanied by two ghillies John M'Innes and James 

 Mackay. We had left the Shooting Lodge of Goberneasgach 

 and followed the bridle-path up Glen Golly (Ghollie ?) 

 a distance of 4 miles and 80 yards. My object was simply 

 to obtain specimens of these Parr-marked Trout, which 

 I had heard of, but never seen. That same evening we 

 fished in the long summer "gloaming," and got 23 trout 

 (9 Ibs.). Next morning we tried again, but added nothing 

 to our creel. We then " bundled up our plaidie " and ground- 

 sheet, and the party walked across the moor Mheal an 

 Lochan Sgeirach to Loch na Shallag (" The Loch of the 

 Hunting"), about i^- mile, which loch is reputed to hold 

 trout running up to 2 and 3 Ibs. It lies at the base of 

 Sabhal Mor, at an elevation of 1598 feet, and is of consider- 

 able extent ; and it, along with Loch na Sgeirach and Loch 

 ah Fheoir nam Sabhal (of which more anon), drain into the 

 Hope River via Glen Ghollie. The high waterfall in Glen 

 Ghollie Coin-ras must have prevented any up-stream 

 migration of fish to any of these lochs. There appears to 

 be nothing peculiar in the trout of Loch na Shallag, except 

 their fine growth and quality. Those, however, which we 

 caught were either not yet in perfect condition, or had gone 

 off a little. They gave great sport, rising and behaving like 

 grilse when hooked. The loch does not appear to be 

 very deep, but goes down precipitously, and then seems to 

 maintain about I 2 feet in depth for a considerable distance 

 from the shore ; the bottom apparently being of mud and 

 sand with many star-shaped green plants and other vegetation. 

 We caught 14 trout (10 Ibs.) during perhaps two hours we 

 remained at this loch. Curiously, they rose very tardily 

 until the mist came down, and then they rose much better 

 in the bays, and in the narrows near an island (which is not 

 marked in the Ordnance one-inch map). 

 30 C 



