Supposed Effects of a Waterspout. 153 



were to have a year of cheapness and plenty, for the very 

 clouds had been raining herrings on Benardy-hill. He as- 

 sured me it must be true, for the man who told him saw the 

 man who heard Mr. Tod's servants tell, they had gathered 

 part of the fallen fish, and that they were not young trouts 

 frae the Loch, but real garvey (sprats) herrings frae the sea. 

 " See (pointing to a dark cloud) it's black in the west, wha 

 kens but we may hae anether shower o' them ei night yet ?" 



In the course of the day, I fell in with an individual from 

 the neighbourhood of Benardy, who assured me had himself 

 gathered part of the fish, and that my friend Mr. Tod of 

 Finnity had also gathered, and had, he believed, a few in 

 his possession. To put the matter beyond a doubt, I dis- 

 patched a servant with a note to Mr. Tod, on whose property 

 they had fallen, and from him I received the following very 

 satisfactory letter: — 



Dear Sir, 



In reply to your note of this date respecting, not our draught, 

 but our fall of fishes : — On Wednesday last week, my servants 

 informed me that they had seen a quantity of small herrings 

 lying upon the potato ground, where they had that morning 

 been ploughing, and that they could think of no way by which 

 they could come there, except by the heavy shower that fell 

 the night before. Upon expressing my disbelief of this, they 

 said if I would go to a particular spot, which was on the north 

 of the public road, about three to four hundred yards to the 

 west of Finnity, I should probably find some still lying. I 

 went accordingly, and picked up eight or ten small herrings from 

 two to two inches and a half long. I saw several more, but 

 these were dashed by the fall. This was about eleven o'clock 

 A. M., and the crows and sea-gulls had been very busy all 

 morning. I examined the servants as to the quantity: they 

 said they were lying very thick, along a tract of about fifteen 

 to twenty yards in breadth, and one hundred in length across 

 the potatoe ground, and as far as I can judge from their ac- 

 count, in a direction from south-west to north-east. I should 

 have been very happy to have sent you a few of them, but 

 they were so soft that they soon withered to nothing. A num- 

 ber of individuals saw "them, and a good many were taken 

 away. I remain, dear sir, 



Yours truly, 



Addressed to Mr. G. Inglis. (Signed) WM. Tod. 



These garveys, as they are called in this country, must 

 have been taken up from the sea, somewhere off' Culross, or 

 Kincardine, and carried on the nearest calculation fifteen to 



Vol.64. No. SI 6. Aii>'. ]82i. U twenty 



