344 THE SALMON RIVERS OF SCOTLAND 



swimming upwards. On meeting with a sudden influx of cold 

 water, ascent is stopped. Hence early Ness fish accumulate 

 in Loch Oich and afterwards in the lower Garry, and Lochy fish 

 now congregate in Mucomer Pool. Such spring fish, even 

 without the influx of a cold tributary, are, in Scotland, com- 

 pletely checked by falls, which at a later time in the season, 

 when summer conditions of water temperature obtain, would 

 be but slight and temporary barriers. In this way we see all 

 the Helmsdale early fish remaining below the small fall at 

 Kildonan, about 11 miles up the river, Orchy fish remaining 

 below the Orchy Falls, Loch Tay fish remaining below the 

 Dochart Falls. 



When the new water-course for the upper Lochy was cut, 

 the Commissioners were allowed to create the Mucomer Fall, 

 and now we see the early Lochy fish remaining below this fall 

 and, at the same time, refusing to continue their ascent in the 

 Spean (in the early months), which is perfectly free to them at 

 this point, but which in the early months of the year contains 

 cold water. 



In part the creation of the Mucomer Fall and its weir under 

 the west arch of the road- bridge was intended by the 

 Commissioners as a safeguard against the undue lowering of 

 Loch Lochy. I understand, however, that Loch Lochy now 

 generally contains a surplusage of water for canal purposes, 

 and that in all probability the amount of water now discharged 

 from the loch is not equal to the amount formerly carried out 

 by the unobstructed upper Lochy. At the same time, I have 

 no doubt, since the river Lochy was in those early days freely 

 netted by the then proprietor of the Barony of Lochaber (the 

 Duke of Gordon), as well as fished by cruives about two miles 

 from the mouth, the keeping down of the fish, i.e. the prevention 

 of their ascending into Loch Lochy through Mucomer, was 

 regarded apparently as good policy for the net fishing. When 

 the Lord Abinger, who acquired the fishings, decided to remove 

 all nets and cruives from the river for the sake of securing a 

 good angling river, which, even from a purely monetary point 

 of view, is to a proprietor of more value, Mucomer Pool became 

 the best in the river, because the creation of the new water- 

 course from Loch Lochy poured the warm waters of the loch 

 into Mucomer Pool, thus inducing early fish to run this length, 



