122 SALMON FISHING 



pollution, and the protection afforded to fish by law 

 is effective. It is generally believed here, among 

 anglers, that early spring salmon do not take this 

 river. I am informed by the watcher that this is a 

 mistake. In the cruives he has taken four or five 

 fish, varying from 5 Ibs. to 12 Ibs., with sea lice on 

 them." 



The NAIRN, a beautiful little river, rises in an 

 " outlier " of the Monadh Liadh, " grey mountains," 

 a range of hills between Strathdearn and Strath- 

 nairn, in which the Findhorn also has its source. 

 After a course of some 27 miles down the pictur- 

 esque strath of its name, it flows through the 

 harbour of Nairn into the Moray Firth. Once the 

 mouth was farther east of Nairn ; but, about eighty 

 years ago, the town authorities, thinking that the 

 stream would tend to wash away the constant silting- 

 up of the harbour, made a charter of agreement 

 with the proprietor of the embouchure, whereby, 

 in consideration of certain fishing rights granted 

 to him, they were permitted to divert the course of 

 the river. Like all short swift-running rivers, the 

 Nairn requires plentiful, periodical, and opportune 

 rainfalls to render it good for angling. Though I 

 have fished on the Cawdor Castle stretch, which has 

 excellent pools, my own acquaintance with the stream 

 is slight. Brodie of Brodie informs me that the 

 number of fish caught has not varied much for many 

 years. When the river is low the sea-trout and the 

 salmon lie in the estuary waiting for a flood. 

 When that comes opportunely sport with both fish 



