100 Peakl Fishing. 



I conversed bad the same report — never saw such a thing, although 

 quite conversant with them. Of Loch Doon, in Ayrshire, and its 

 streams the same can be said. So much for the fresh water lochs. 

 Regarding Loch Ej^an, I have information that no pearls are found 

 in the streams running into the loch, and the loch itself contains 

 only those small blue-white pearls found in sea mussels, which are 

 of no value as gems, and would shew dark on most skins. My 

 investigations regarding the lochs were fruitless, but I obtained 

 much information regarding the streams of that lovely country to 

 which the mussel is partial. The pearl mussel is widely scattered 

 over the country, and cur laud has long been famed for its pearls. 

 The Romans were well acquainted with this gem in British waters, 

 and many of them were sent to Rome, and it is said that one of 

 the temptations to Caesar's invasion was the abundance of pearls 

 produced in this country, Caesar having quite a passion for this 

 lovely gem. There is as little Ukelihood of the Roman passing- 

 any water containing them as there is of our race passing over a 

 country whose native inhabitants are wearing gold bangles with- 

 out endeavouring to find the source from which it is procured. 

 I have little doubt, notwithstanding- what has been said to the con- 

 trary, that evidences of their residence will be found both by Dee 

 and Doon. Pearls of great size have been found in Scotland, and 

 it is said that more than one of the jDearls in our Scotch Regalia 

 are of native origin. 



The Tay, the Forth, Don, Dee, and Esk in Aberdeenshire are 

 famous for their pearls. Those on the Tay, from Loch Tay down- 

 wards, seem to have been a mine of wealth, a fishery existing 

 here that was said to have produced £10,000 worth of pearls in 

 four years, with the usual result that the Fishery was ruined. 

 But no allusion is made, in any work to which I have command, 

 of the streams of Galloway or Ayrshire ; but nearly all the streams 

 in the south-west of Scotland contain them — Nith, Cairn, Kirk- 

 o-unzeon Lane, Cree, Dee, Doon, Fleet, &c. Shells are found in 

 Nith at Blackwood, Ellisland, and Carnsalloch, and on Cairn 

 they are found in several places, such as Snade Estate, Dalgonar, 

 and lower down to Nith. I have also seen pearls got in Nith, 

 but none of them were of any value. 



The two streams that I particularly paid attention to are 

 those most noted for their pearls — Dee and Doon. One fact I 

 noted was that the fish has an aversion to still water, and I found 



