180 THE SALMON RIVERS OF SCOTLAND 



THE RIVER MORISTON 



enters the western side of Loch Ness, and flows through a 

 magnificent glen a distance of 25 miles. Its course is, there- 

 fore, parallel to the more famous river Garry, which enters 

 Loch Oich, and the character of the hills from which it springs 

 is very similar. Each descends from high rocky land, which 

 forms the watershed close to the west coast, and after a some- 

 what varied course, secures a period of quiescence in the centre 

 of its glen the Garry as a loch, the Moriston in a stretch of 

 sluggish water. Each then rushes off again over a rocky bed, 

 plunges over a fall, and enters its respective lake. But the 

 Moriston has to come to a considerably lower level at Loch 

 Ness than the Garry has at Loch Oich, hence its lower part 

 is somewhat steeper, and more than one fall of some moment to 

 the salmon occurs. The lowest of all is the Invermoriston 

 Fall, which originally was a complete barrier to ascending fish. 

 In 1880 a pass was formed round the left side of the fall, and 

 probably no pass in Scotland was better known ; but from 

 time to time this pass required modification ; sluices had to 

 be erected at the intake to prevent overflooding the Moriston 

 river is peculiarly subject to very sudden changes of level 

 the mouth, or lower opening of the pass, was brought nearer 

 the foot of the fall, masses of rock were carried or slid into the 

 pass, and had either to be circumvented or removed. The 

 gradient of this pass was, or is, 1 in 10 ; it is cut out of the 

 solid rock, and cost, I believe, about 2,000. Reports as to 

 its efficiency have, however, always been reserved in tone. 

 It has never been described as an unqualified success, as, for 

 instance, the Ballisodare Pass in Ireland is said to be. A 

 certain number of fish have always managed to ascend, but the 

 pass has never been the means of raising a good stock of salmon 

 in the upper river. In the autumn of 1902 it was decided to 

 proceed with the construction of a second pass on the south or 

 right bank of the river. It happens that as far back as 1870, 

 when Buckland and Young inspected the fall, a pass was 

 recommended very much in the position now opened up, but 

 the suggestion was then departed from on the ground of 

 expense, it being believed that an efficient pass could be 

 constructed on the left bank. 



