218 THE SALMON RIVERS OF SCOTLAND 



followed by abrupt falls. If an ellipse be drawn from a centre 

 not far from Bonar Bridge, touching the falls of Carron in the 

 south and the falls of Shin on the north, it will also touch the 

 falls of Einig, Oykell, and the lower falls of the Cassley. They 

 are all in this rocky outcrop in its elliptical line round the Kyle 

 basin. The second abrupt rise is not so uniformly exposed, 

 the erosion of the valleys being uneven, but 10 miles up Glen 

 Cassley one finds a second rise the upper falls while the 

 site of the old Limestone Quarries at Shiness, on Loch Shin, 

 probably indicates the line in that valley. Various shallow 

 belts traverse Loch Shin, seeming to repeat and exemplify 

 the manner of valley erosion in the schistose rocks of this 

 region. 



Improvements in netting, increased facilities for marketing 

 salmon, and consequent keen competition, have, however, done 

 for this district what they have done for others. The rivers do 

 not now teem with salmon. This was so far realized by the 

 proprietors of salmon rights, that in 1906 a syndicate was 

 formed for the purpose of acquiring control of the nets, reducing 

 their number, and improving the rod-fishing. For many years 

 the netting had been confined practically to the Kyle at Bonar 

 Bridge, but to improve the catching power at this the key 

 to the whole district, much had been done in the formation of 

 good hauling grounds ; even long platforms, with sloping gravel 

 shores, had been created so as to enable nets to be shot and 

 drawn some distance from the actual beach. Above and below 

 the mouth of the Carron, above the bridge, and on a natural 

 bank opposite the mouth of the narrows below, this proved 

 most effective. 



The syndicate, following up the efforts of the late Dr. Almond, 

 of Loretto, who for years had striven along the same lines 

 individually, took over all the nets of the Kyle, and, by means 

 of a committee, arranged that no netting be carried on above 

 Bonar Bridge ; that netting be not commenced till 1st April ; 

 that the Balnagoun and Skibo nets be alone fished in April and 

 May ; and that a 60 hours' weekly close time be observed from 

 6 p.m. on Saturday till 6 a.m. on Tuesday. These operations 

 came into force in the season of 1907. 



It was not expected that a profit would be made, but it was 

 hoped that the results would go far to recoup the outlay in 



