iS ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY 



introduced by the Duke and reared in a small house placed 

 upon a tiny limestone stream which issues from the limestone 

 cliff of Stronchrubie and loses itself in the greater Loanan. 

 This proved eminently successful, and had been continued 

 down to about 1882 with good results. The fish for the 

 most part were procured from the earlier spawning fish of 

 the rivers Thurso and Brora, and in one season from the 

 Tweed. Though done on quite a simple plan, with no glass 

 grills or carefully-graded hatching-houses, there are patent- 

 very patent results to be seen of later years, as I have 

 already indicated. It seems a pity that this admirable 

 success has not been followed up since 1882. The ruins 

 of the old hatching-house are still to be seen. 



The person who has been in charge of these hatchery 

 operations John Munro, the Duke's gamekeeper at Inchna- 

 damph at my request, supplies the following details : 

 " The year in which the first hatching-off took place was 

 1872, so far as I recollect. The ova was obtained for a 

 series of years from the Thurso and Brora, and one year 

 they were brought from the Tweed. When the hatchery was 

 fully stocked, I used to turn some 60,000 to 70,000 annually 

 into the Loanan, and so to the Inver, and some, as an 

 experiment, into the Kirkaig ; and some years I turned in 

 more. I also put some into the burn which flows from the 

 Glen Glynne loch." 



" The most of the fish whilst passing up or resting 

 in Loch Assynt keep to the north shore, i.e. along the 

 roadside between Inchnadamph and Loch Inver, but some 

 are now got also on the south side. 2 



" I cannot rightly say whether the rivers are now earlier 

 than formerly. I do not think they have yet become so, but 

 certainly the fish are better shaped, and I think they have 

 crossed with the old Inver fish. As a rule we do not have 

 the grilses up much before the 8th of June, but I have no 

 doubt the salmon come up in April, although they are not 

 fished for much at that time." (Those I consider the later 

 runs of the true season.) 



1 I have made inquiries, in 1901, when present on the spot, but I cannot find 

 that any fish spawn on this burn. 



1 I cannot help thinking this south shore is not credited sufficiently by gillies 

 or anglers. 



