THE FINDHORN 159 



The estuary of the Findhorn, as laid down by the schedule of the 

 1868 Salmon Act, secures a rectangular space at the mouth of the 

 river 1 J miles long, measuring westwards from the outermost of the 

 " two shipping piers of the town of Findhorn," and extending to 200 

 yards below low-water mark of equinoctial spring tides. Beyond 

 the limits of this estuary a pretty formidable array of fixed nets 

 immediately crop up. 



With regard to the take of fish by fixed net on the coast of the 

 district (about twenty-two miles), sweep net in the river and estuary, 

 and rod, I find that the returns published in the recent Fishery 

 Board Eeports and sent in to the Inspector by the District Board, 

 show that approximately the fixed nets catch from 13,600 to 18,600 

 fish, the sweep nets from 3600 to 6060, and the rods from 150 to 206. 

 July is the month when by far the largest catches are made, but the 

 nets get fish from the opening to the closing of the season. There 

 is rod fishing below Sluie in spring, but fish do not run the narrows 

 just above Sluie till May, so that all the upper water can be fished 

 only in summer and autumn. 



The Findhorn was one of the rivers which caused greatest damage 

 at the time of the Moray floods in 1829. The gorge hemmed in the 

 flood to such an extent that at Dulsie Bridge the level rose 40 feet, 

 and at the narrow part already referred to called Randolph's Bridge, 

 " from Earl Randolph, the Regent having had a bridge here for cross- 

 ing from his castle of Tarnawa," the water rose right out of the gorge 

 altogether and flooded the Haugh of Rannoch (Randolph), the rise 

 of the flood here being 50 feet. The phenomenal rains which caused 

 this flood occurred on 2nd, 3rd, and 4th August, and Sir Thomas 

 Dick Lauder in his book on the Moray floods gives a very full 

 account of the awful damage done, the new river courses opened, 

 and the trees, bridges and houses that were carried away. Writing 

 of the scene at the Haugh of Rannoch on 4th August, he says : 

 " Before I left the spot, I saw one of the under-gardeners wade into 

 the water as it had begun to ebb on the haugh, and with his 

 umbrella, drive ashore and capture a fine salmon at an elevation of 

 50 feet above the ordinary level of the Findhorn!' Most remarkable 

 accounts are given of the humorous and pathetic incidents which 

 occurred during those three fearful days. Four fishing boats sailed 

 up over the flooded country from the village of Findhorn, to rescue 

 people from their house-tops, sailed miles and miles over the fields 

 and hedges round Forres, the boat bottoms sometimes brushing 

 through the tops of wheat and oat crops. The s kipper of the 



