SCOTLAND 149 



Colonel Edmund R. S. Richardson, owner of fine 

 reaches at Ballathie, is less absolute in judgment. 

 He writes : 



"The autumn results for the past two seasons 

 have certainly been most disappointing. The catch 

 has been little more than half of the usual 

 quantity. I attribute this very much to the fact 

 of our not having had the customary floods about 

 the third week in August. Floods about that time 

 'Lammas floods 1 used to be looked forward to 

 regularly every year. They thoroughly wash out 

 the bed of the river below Perth, which, being 

 towards the top of the tidal water, gets into a most 

 objectionable condition from the immense quantity 

 of town sewage accumulated throughout the summer 

 season, when floods are not usual. I don't think 

 salmon mind a reasonable amount of sewage; but 

 the collection below Perth is too much for them. 

 In an ordinary season, when we get floods at the 

 normal period, there is not, I think, any falling-off 

 in the number of fish taken, compared with what 

 were caught, say, twenty years ago. At that time 

 there were not nearly so many boats on the river 

 daily. I am bound to say that if the total catches 

 of these boats were added together, quite as many 

 fish would be accounted for daily on each mile of 

 water as were taken twenty years ago. I think the 

 stock of fish in the river is quite as good as ever. 

 No doubt it has been maintained greatly in con- 

 sequence of the nets above the Lynn of Campsie 

 having been removed some years ago. Fish now 



