144 THE SALMON RIVERS OF SCOTLAND 



to the date of writing (1921) the mouth has been more direct. 



At long intervals the river has, as it were, asserted itself 

 and broken through the high beach. In or shortly after 1834, 

 after a severe storm, it even broke away to the eastward and 

 entered the bay at the Macduff side, near rocks called Palmer's 

 Cove ; but as a rule the natural conditions compel the river 

 mouth to be at the west side of the bay. The lagoon and high 

 beach are much against the entrance of fish, for not only is 

 the actual mouth obstructed, but a very great amount of water 

 percolates through the high* gravel barrier, and robs the outflow 

 of its proper force and volume. 



It will be seen, therefore, that with frequently very small 

 inducement for fish to enter the river mouth, they were liable 

 to be captured by the fixed nets of Banff Bay ; and that when 

 fish found suitable conditions for entering the river, they were 

 at once liable to be caught by the net and coble fishing of the 

 first 3 miles. The removal of the cruive dyke was not 

 sufficient to bring about a marked improvement while this 

 combination of circumstances prevailed. The proprietors, 

 therefore, in 1905 opened negotiations for the purchase of the 

 river netting and the netting in Banff Bay, and early in 1906 

 the negotiations were completed. Having secured all the nets, 

 the proprietors then sold the rights in the sea outside of a line 

 between the towns of Banff and Macduff, and reconveyed the 

 river fishings to their original owner, with the condition 

 attached that rod and line fishing alone was to be carried on. 



The new arrangement came into force at the termination of 

 season 1907, so that from the 26th August of that year the 

 Deveron has been entirely free of nets. It happened also that 

 in 1907 a severe storm damaged the sea wall at Low Shore, 

 Banff, and the local Town Council, in order to properly repair 

 it, opened a direct mouth for the river through the gravel 

 beach. In June of that year, when I visited the mouth of the 

 river, I found the lagoon no longer a part of the river channel 

 to the sea, and the former mouth at Low Shore already 

 completely closed up by the unchallenged action of the sea. 

 The salmon fishery proprietors succeeded further in persuading 

 the Banff Town Council to allow the direct river mouth to 

 remain. 



Duff House was, some time since, presented to Banff by the 



