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KIRKCUD- there was no disease. There were many kelts. The Fleet rises in granite, 

 BRIGHT. gravel, and peat. The water is very clear, but not so clear as the Usk above 

 Brecon, because of the peat. 



Does not think sheep-washing has anything to do with the disease. 



William Davidson, occupier of fisheries in the estuary of the Fleet. — They 

 have been in a backward condition for two or three years, especially this year, 

 owing to the weather. Has heard Mr. Duncan's evidence. Got two grilse 

 last year with a kind of white spot on the fins — the tail, and the ventral fin. 

 The spot was merely a mouldy-looking spot. They were clean grilse taken in 

 salt water. Thinks they had come down from fresh water and run back to the 

 sea. Has caught several this year, which had decidedly come from fresh water. 

 They had spots about the "lugs." There were no long filaments like the 

 specimen produced. It was like scurf. Often saw the same thing on] the 

 Tweed at Berwick 12 years ago. Was bailiff there under Mr. List. It was the same 

 white spot on the kelts which they buried. There were no hair-like appendages. 

 It was in fresh water. It was at Scotch New Water and in the tidal part of the 

 river as well. Never saw clean fish so affected in the Tweed. Here the clean 

 fish were affected. 



Attributes the disease to overcrowding. The Tweed is overcrowded accord- 

 ing to the season. The Tweed is going back. Many fish go up after the 

 close of the fishing. 



Has had experience of the North Esk, which is very crowded. Knows no 

 river anything like so productive as the North Esk. It is the fullest stocked 

 river for its size he knows. 



Has seen the white scurf on the kippers chiefly. Believes it was on 

 wounds caused by fighting. Never heard of its extending to clean fish. If the 

 North Esk was overcrowded, it ought to be diseased. The condition of the 

 fish depends on the food. The natural food of the fish in the North Esk is 

 more abundant. The upper part of the North Esk is boggy. 



Suggests that overcrowding should be prevented by more fishing, to clean out 

 the river before the breeding fish come. The upper heritors would object to 

 this. 



The disease is produced by overcrowding, because the river will only bear a 

 certain number of fish, as land will only bear a certain number of cattle. The 

 males are more plentiful than the females. Most of the kelts he buried were 

 males — say two to one. 



Never saw a fungousy fish on the spawning beds. Last'year saw them on 

 the coast near the Fleet. 



Many fish run up the Tweed in October after the nets are off. If there are 

 too many spawning fish, they may root up each other's beds. Has seen this 

 done. A limited quantity of spawners is better than too many. 



The netting should be prolonged. Has seen female fish in the North Esk 

 up to Craigo without males, which run up later in the year. 



Cannot explain why one overcrowded river has disease and another none 

 unless there are pollutions. There are pollutions in the lower reaches of the 

 North Esk, but none above Craigo Dyke. There is one bleach-field. 



More fish spawn between the Gorge and Craigo Dyke than in all the river. 

 There is a bleach mill here, pouring pollutions into the river. 



In the Tweed where the fish spawn in large numbers the water is sometimes 

 clean and sometimes dirty. There are many factories on the Tweed at 

 Jedburgh. Was stationed below the polluted parts of the river. Where 

 there is dirty water the pollutions will predispose to disease. 



Does not know the Nith. 



The fishings in the North Esk have fallen off this year owing to the 

 weather, but up to this they continued increasing. Before he left, eight years 

 ago, it was thought better to extend the fishing at the back end of the year. 



A great deal depends on the feeding grounds, and the mouth of the river. 

 Adheres to the theory that overcrowding is the cause. 



The rivers should be fished in the upper waters when the fish might be taken 

 which have escaped the lower nets. Enough fish are not killed in the upper 

 waters. Nets should be used in the upper pools. 



The disease breaks out among the kelts. There are plenty of people ready 

 to kill kelts. In the North Esk the trout kelts are killed because it is thought 



