168 THE SALMON RIVERS OF SCOTLAND 



for a considerable number of years, and that the score nearly reaches 

 400 fish. This is encouraging to those who are seeking to increase 

 the stock, the more so since 1908 was by no means a good angling 

 year. Modern anglers have a fairly good record to break, however, 

 for in 1876 the late Mr. Denison then well known also on Tweed 

 had 16 fish to his own rod on 7th August. In 1885 he killed 120 

 fish in the Ness and 180 in the Tweed. He died suddenly in Ness 

 House in 1887. A great story is told of him in the Fur, Feather, 

 and Fin Series (Salmon). He hooked a fish at six o'clock one Friday 

 evening in the Holm Port, found it to be a monster, played it 

 through the night till 4 a.m., and eventually lost it just under the 

 gaff. Oh ! the missing of it ! 



The Four Cobles Water is in reality a part of the Bught Water, 

 the property principally of Colonel Warrand of Bught, but the town 

 of Inverness has a certain share in the right of fishing. This share 

 is held for the benefit of the lieges and is interpreted by freedom to 

 fish this water every eighth fishing day. A list of the free days is 

 drawn up each year, and is to be obtained from the various fishing- 

 tackle makers in Inverness. This water is the lowest section, from 

 The Islands to the mouth past the town, and fishing is carried on 

 from both banks as well as from The Islands. 



LOCH NESS. 



For a long succession of years Loch Tay has been held in high 

 repute as a spring fishing loch, where any one who cares for the 

 sport may go and catch salmon, or at all events practise the peaceful 

 if cold art of fishing for salmon from a boat. Nowadays a successful 

 rival has come to the front in Loch Ness. 



Including the small basin of Loch Dochfour at the northern end, 

 the loch is 24 J miles long, and has an average breadth of about a 

 mile. It is, further, profoundly deep, being indeed the deepest loch 

 but one in Scotland, and it is not very long since the greater depth 

 of Loch Morar was discovered. 



The members of the Bathymetrical Survey of Scottish Lochs, 

 under the direction of Sir John Murray, have given great attention 

 to this great body of water, and have not only charted the loch in 

 a detailed manner, but have studied its fauna and flora, its seches 

 and its sprungscMcht ; in other words, its irregular tides, and its 

 sharp separation into different layers of water These rather 

 mysterious physical phenomena appear to have no connection with 

 the salmon fisheries of the loch, although if seches, are caused by 



