NOTES ON SALMONID.i: 15 



Gillaroo Loch, and from the great limestone plateau between 

 that loch and the high limestone cliffs of Stronchrubie. 



The main stream of the Loanan is four miles in length, 

 after leaving the famous trouting waters of Loch Awe of 

 Assynt. It receives another limestone burn which is com- 

 posed of one great spring gushing out of the huge lime- 

 stone plateau and cliffs of Stronchrubie, and appropriately 

 known as the Cold Spring, or Altnaoul Burn, and also the 

 Trailigill Burn, close to Loch Assynt. 



Loch Awe is a shallow sheet of water about one mile and 

 a quarter in length, and in it a few salmon are occasionally 

 got in some seasons. Entering it is a short stream of, say, 

 150 yards in length, running over a continuously rough bed, 

 with no resting pools or lies for fish ; and this flows out 

 of a little loch called Loch Gruagach, which may cover 

 about 20 acres. On the shore of this little loch, close to 

 the outlet, two salmon have been killed with fly in one 

 day by the late John Sutherland, gamekeeper to the 

 Duke for many years, and afterwards innkeeper since 1865 

 at Inchnadamph. [I believe I was the first guest he had 

 in that inn, unless the honour was divided by two other 

 friends.] Such is a description of the drainage basin of 

 the Inver River, but I ought to add that there are several 

 other tributaries which flow into it both below the exit from 

 Loch Assynt, and from the limestone district of Achumore 

 into Loch Assynt, opposite the embouchures of which are 

 often favourite salmon lies. 



Previous to the year 1872, in which fresh ova of 

 salmon were introduced to the upper waters, and for 

 many years afterwards, the principal known lies for salmon 

 in the loch occupied a stretch of shore from a little lower 

 down the east and north shore than the burn of Skiag, 

 up to the bay of the main affluent at the top of the loch. 

 But of later years, and since the introduction of the 

 fresh fish ova and alevins, mostly from the Thurso River, 

 the extent of salmon ground has been very considerably 

 extended, and now stretches along the opposite shore to 

 and beyond the prominent point of Rhu na Moin. 



The river is (has been hitherto) divided into two beats, 

 each beat for two rods only, and in the interests of the 



