172 THE SALMON RIVERS OF SCOTLAND 



THE RIVER MOEISTON 



Enters the western side of Loch Ness, and flows through a magnifi- 

 cent glen a distance of 25 miles. Its course is, therefore, parallel to 

 the more famous river Garry, which enters Loch Oich, and the 

 character of the hills from which it springs is very similar. Each 

 descends from rocky hills, which form the watershed close to the 

 west coast, and after a somewhat varied course, secures a period of 

 quiescence in the centre of its glen the Garry as a loch, the 

 Moriston in a stretch of sluggish water. Each then rushes off again 

 over a rocky bed, plunges over a fall, and enters its respective lake. 

 But the Moriston has to come to a considerably lower level at Loch 

 Ness than the Garry at Loch Oich, hence the lower part of the 

 former is steeper, and more than one fall of some moment to the 

 salmon occurs. The lowest of all is the Invermoriston Fall, which 

 originally was a complete barrier to ascending fish. 



In 1880 a pass was formed round the left side of the fall, and 

 probably no pass in Scotland was better known ; but from time to 

 time this pass has required modification ; sluices had to be erected at 

 the intake to prevent overflooding the Moriston river is peculiarly 

 subject to very sudden changes of level the mouth, or lower open- 

 ing of the pass, was brought nearer the foot of the fall, masses of 

 rock were carried or slid into the pass, and had either to be circum- 

 vented or removed. The gradient of this pass was, or is, one in ten ; 

 it is cut out of the solid rock, and cost, I believe, about 2000. 

 Reports as to its efficiency have, however, always been reserved in 

 tone. It has never been described as an unqualified success, as, for 

 instance, the Ballisodare Pass in Ireland is said to be. A certain 

 number of fish have always managed to ascend, but the pass has 

 never been the means of raising a good stock of salmon in the upper 

 river. In the autumn of 1902 it was decided to proceed with the 

 construction of a second pass on the south or right bank of the river. 

 It happens that as far back as 1870, when Buckland and Young 

 inspected the fall, a pass was recommended very much in the 

 position now opened up, but the suggestion was then departed from 

 on the ground of expense, it being believed that an efficient pass 

 could be constructed on the left bank. 



When the first pass was opened, and salmon admitted to waters 

 in Glenmoriston, which they previously could not frequent, the 

 Crown claimed the salmon fishing rights in virtue of the fact that 

 the fishings had never been alienated to any subject, and would ipso 



