162 THE SALMON RIVERS OF SCOTLAND 



sewage. The volume of water in the river is usually not very great; 

 indeed, except in time of high flood, the volume is never great. The 

 whole length of the river is only about thirty miles, and although 

 several good burns act as feeders, the district is one of light rainfall, 

 and floods are not frequent. The total catch of rods may be said to 

 vary from 100 to about 300 ; the figures for four consecutive years, 

 published elsewhere, are: 175, 250, 294, 175. A considerable 

 number of sea-trout and finnock are not counted in these returns. 



The first weir encountered by ascending fish is at Miltoun of 

 Kilravock. It is a long, slanting structure, situated just above two 

 alder-clad islands, so that the stream is divided into three channels. 

 The weir at the point to which fish are most naturally led is by no 

 means high, and cannot be regarded as seriously obstructing fish. It 

 could be very easily improved, however. 



The Nairnside Weir, which comes next in order, is much more 

 formidable, except in high water, because the river here is naturally 

 shallow, and the water passing over the sill of the dyke is very thin. 

 There is no fish-pass of any kind, and the river banks being flat at this 

 part and above, it unfortunately happens that very little fall is possible 

 in the mill-lades, so that the tendency is to prolong the lades beyond 

 more than one obstruction. In this way the water drawn from the 

 river by means of the Bridgate Weir next above a structure formed 

 of boulders and stones is not returned to the river above the Nairn- 

 side Weir, thus still further depriving that obstacle of water. 



The next weir is that of Holm Eose, and here again the water 

 from two lades rather than only one is carried to the river below. 

 The lades are not, perhaps, very large, but neither is the river, and 

 the loss is material. I understand that the levels make any other 

 arrangement rather difficult. Holm Kose Weir is perhaps the most 

 serious obstacle in the river. It is not high, but the down-stream 

 face is steep, and there is no gap or fish-pass. 



The other weirs are the Can tray Dam Dyke, the Kinrea Weir at 

 Dalcross, and lastly, the Colchunaig Weir. The first is an important 

 structure ; but although there is no fish-pass, the sill is lower at the 

 left bank than at the right bank, and a good stream of water is thus 

 enabled to descend even in dry weather. The two other structures 

 are insignificant, being rough stone dykes about a couple of feet high, 

 which divert water to small local meal mills. It is noticeable, how- 

 ever, that no fish-pass exists in the river Nairn, in spite of the 

 bye-laws in the Salmon Acts requiring that such structures should 

 be inserted in every dam dyke. In districts where no District 



