118 THE SALMON RIVERS OF SCOTLAND 



end, Cairnton, Inchmarlo, and Kineskie. Banchory Bridge 

 then completes another section of the river. 



With regard to the Blackball Water, I am enabled, thanks 

 to the kindness of the proprietor, to give the totals for twelve 

 years up to 1908. They are as follow : 



1897 . . 332 fish 



1898 . . 186 



1899 . . 228 



1900 . . 336 



1901 . . 358 



1902 . 328 



1768 



1903 . . 423 fish 



1904 . . 423 



1905 . . 304 



1906 . . 380 



1907 . . 454 



1908 . 444 , 



2428 



The totals I have added for the first and for the second 

 period of six years show a pretty substantial increase for the 

 latter. The water opposite is all held by Sir Thomas Burnett, 

 and will be referred to presently. 



The Crathes Water, below Banchory on the left bank, consists 

 of eight pools, and is divided into the Upper or House Water, 

 and the Lower Water. With the former, go The Old Kiln, 

 Floating Bank, Birkenband, and Kashentrosh. The Lower 

 Water has the Mill Pool, the Bridge Pool, Kelpie, and the 

 Greenbanks. The spring fishing of the whole should yield 50 

 to 60 fish, though in mild open winters fish are somewhat 

 apt to run past. The autumn fishing is sometimes rather 

 disappointing. From Crathes and Kinneskie Waters, in the 

 early nineties, Captain Ashton, who was then tenant, killed 

 over 200 fish one autumn. I do not know, however, what the 

 conditions were, and it may well be that fish were prevented 

 running in summer, or that the pools of this water afforded 

 better holds for fish than at present. A little judicious croy- 

 building, with consent of the opposite proprietor, might be 

 found to make a wonderful difference in securing lies for fish, 

 so that the angler has a longer opportunity of trying for them 

 in the bye-going. 



Sir Thomas Burnett rents Kinneskie, Cairnton, and Woodend 

 Waters. The first has been held lately by the Tornacoile Hotel, 

 the manager of which informs me that the average is about 

 60 fish. There are five pools in this water. Cairnton has 

 been doing very well in recent years. From the opening to 

 the end of June in 1914, 1915, and 1916, the catches were : 



