FORTH DISTRICT 37 



give the river course a length of 12| miles in a point to point 

 distance of 5| miles. This long estuary, like that of the Tay, 

 was formerly much fished by hang net, now, by House of Lords 

 decision, declared to be an illegal method of fishing for salmon 

 within the limits of an estuary. Perhaps it is a little premature 

 to speak of this hang netting as quite discontinued in the 

 Forth District, since the Board have had continual trouble in 

 checking it, and cases of breach of interdict have only recently 

 been settled. As in the Tay estuary also a considerable winter 

 fishing for sparlings or smelts is carried on. 



The landward section of the district includes the Trossachs 

 and the celebrated scenery of Lochs Achray and Katrine, the 

 Pass of Leny, Loch Lubnaig, and Strathyre ; places better 

 known to the tourist than I suppose almost any other in Scot- 

 land ; sung of by Sir Walter Scott, and ever now linked with 

 the romantic memories of Fitz James and Roderick Dhu, of 

 Rob Roy and Helen M'Gregor. The famous outlaw and his 

 two sons lie buried at Balquhidder by Loch Voil. But one 

 must resist the temptation to follow the train of recollections 

 associated with so bold, so wild, and withal so strong a 

 character. 



To gain an adequate idea of the geography of the Forth 

 District it is necessary to understand that there are three main 

 lines of water flow ; one coming from Loch Katrine through 

 Loch Achray and Loch Vennacher, the central line ; one on 

 the north coming from Loch Voil through Loch Lubnaig and 

 uniting with the central line at Callander ; lastly, one coming 

 from Loch Chon through Loch Ard, and continuing separate 

 from the others till a couple of miles out of Stirling. This last 

 is the line of the River Forth. The river formed by the con- 

 fluence of the two others at Callander, and flowing from 

 Callander to the junction with the Forth near Stirling, is the 

 River Teith. The Forth is considered the main river, since 

 by reason of its extraordinary windings it is certainly the 

 longest, but the Teith is the more important river from a 

 salmon fishing point of view. 



There seems to be little doubt that the central line, that 

 coming through the Trossachs, formed originally the principal 

 source of water supply to the Forth. The great misfortune 

 of the district is that these head waters of so much value to 



