418 THE SALMON RIVERS OF SCOTLAND 



the Court adhered, and found that the barricades termed 

 ' blind eyes ' must be removed from the spaces between the 

 rocks, and the said spaces filled up with proper materials, 

 formed and constructed like other cruive dykes. These ' blind 

 eyes ' were more effectual to intercept fish than a cruive dyke, 

 because they admitted a passage to the water downwards 

 without allowing the salmon to proceed upwards ; whereas, 

 during a flood, when water was coming over the cruive dyke, 

 the fish were able to ascend. The case was then appealed to 

 the House of Lords, who ultimately found ' that the form and 

 construction of the cruive dykes and boxes, and the construc- 

 tion and position of the inscales are to be regulated according 

 to law,' and remitted back to the Court of Session to give 

 precise directions to the parties about the form and construction 

 of the cruive dykes and boxes, and the construction of the 

 inscales according to law. I venture to think that it must be 

 held that this case is decisive, and determines the point that 

 these Doachs are really cruives, and that they must, conse- 

 quently, be subject to the provisions of the bye-law which now 

 regulates the construction and use of cruives in Scotland." 



A further development has, within recent years, taken place 

 at the Doachs, which has led to further litigation. During 

 the war, a company called the Galloway Engineering Co. 

 bought the old derelict mill at Tongueland and acquired the 

 water rights at the Doachs. A factory for the manufacture 

 of aeroplane engines was erected on the left bank and the old 

 mill turned into a power-house. To secure as much water as 

 possible, a concrete dyke, of very much greater height than the 

 old rocky barrier, was erected, and the general character of the 

 obstruction materially altered. The salmon fishing proprietors 

 above, very naturally took alarm, and proceedings were insti- 

 tuted to secure non-interference with their salmon fishery 

 interests. 



About a mile below the Doachs, the Dee flows into the head 

 of its long muddy estuary and is joined by the Tarff tributary, 

 a stream up which sea trout and a few salmon go. In this 

 section two sweep nets are employed, but with the soft banks 

 of the estuary lower down this method is impracticable. By 

 way of further taking toll of the unfortunate salmon, however, 

 the tidal estuary is fished regularly by six fixed engines, and 



