412 THE SALMON RIVERS OF SCOTLAND 



a typical Solway estuary, rather out of proportion to the size 

 of the river, and each has a course through very beautiful 

 " south country " scenery. 



In the Fleet district, in 1879, a claim for the fishing of fixed 

 engines was made to the Special Commission for Salmon 

 Fisheries, and certificates of privilege were granted. It has 

 been found recently that the observance of the weekly close 

 time has been much overlooked, and here, as in the Cree 

 District, so called " white fish nets " which are curiously like 

 salmon nets, are worked in and out of season. 



The Fleet rises at a very considerable altitude, and from 

 two sources the Big and the Little waters of Fleet. To form 

 the Big water of Fleet a series of converging burns descend 

 like the spokes of a fan, or ribs of a fan, I know not which 

 word a lady would employ, from the cluster of hills containing 

 the Cairnmore of Fleet (2,331 feet), Meikle Mactaggart (2,000 

 feet), Craigronald and Craig whinnie fine- sounding Highland 

 names all of them to a wide valley-head. This valley no 

 doubt shows the main line of erosion from the hills mentioned, 

 when the shores of the Solway were levelled down, and the 

 shallow estuaries formed. The Big Water now traces its 

 sinuous course in the bed of this great stream- track, and about 

 a mile below the junction of the burns the Portpatrick and 

 Wigtownshire Railway crosses the valley on a viaduct of 20 

 arches. About 3 miles lower down the Little Water joins 

 from the left. This Little Water springs from Loch Fleet, a 

 small triangular sheet of water 1,120 feet above the sea, and 

 north of the valley- head already referred to. 



The junction is at Castramont, and from this point to the 

 head of Fleet Bay below Gatehouse, the course of the river is 

 4| miles long. Salmon are few and far between in the Fleet 

 during the fishing season, but sea-trout are plentiful and often 

 yield good sport. The sea-trout run from July on till end of 

 September. 



The Urr is a much longer stream than the other, having a 

 total course, to the head of its estuary Rough Firth of a 

 little more than 20 miles. It flows from Loch Urr, a lonely 

 loch some 6 miles from Moniaive, and through which the 

 boundary line between the counties of Dumfries and Kirk- 

 cudbright passes. The course for the first few miles is in open 



