THE TUMMEL 79 



the other Tummel fishings, that a certain number of early fish 

 enter and remain in the deep pools till the rising thermal 

 conditions of the rivers allow of their further ascent. In 

 this way both the Tay and Tummel sections of Easthaugh 

 yield spring fish. By the month of March, however, the 

 Tummel fish are moving up to the Falls, and in April they 

 usually begin to enter the Garry, although in mild springs fish 

 are up as far as the Pass of Killiecrankie before March is out, 

 or even sometimes by the end of February. 



Early fish moving up to the Falls of Tummel used to be 

 stopped in any further ascent. The weight of water which 

 pours over this barrier is such that no fish will attempt to make 

 the ascent in spring, or when the water is at or above normal 

 level at any season. In the height of summer, however, when 

 the water is low, fish not only attempt but accomplish the 

 ascent. They leap on the Bonskeid side from the deep water 

 below into the foot of the S -shaped rapid already referred to. 

 This necessitates a perpendicular leap of about 7 to 8 feet, and 

 is as high a leap as any I know of in Scotland. If accomplished, 

 the fish finds itself in a kind of natural trough where there is 

 below the surface a " water cushion " of easy water in which 

 the fish commonly remains for some time before the next 

 attempt is made. The surprising slackness of the water in 

 this trough can be easily tested by any one who knows the 

 place to test. From this vantage point further ascent is made 

 by a most vigorous swim in zig-zag fashion up the S -shaped 

 rapid, successful fish ultimately passing over the crest of the 

 rapid close to the Bonskeid side. A wrong turn means that 

 the fish is at once swept down to the depths below. Only 

 strong fish can overcome the difficulties, but in favourable 

 seasons, even before the salmon pass was constructed in 1910, 

 a considerable number of fish at times managed to succeed in 

 these attempts. A wide-mouthed basket used in the olden 

 days to be hung by a chain from the rock close to where the 

 leap is made, and the unsuccessful fish as often as not fell into 

 the basket, and so suffered the last penalty. The sockets 

 where the attachment of the chain was pinned to the rock are 

 still clearly visible, but the basket, as an illegal trap, was 

 cleared away many years ago. 



The Pass which was completed in 1910 is necessarily a 



