THE GARRY 179 



gravid fish markedly open to this danger, but to reduce the difficulties 

 at such places is all in the interests of the fish, and would not 

 influence the total catch of the lower Garry. 



A point of considerable interest in this district is the reason why 

 the Garry, the farthest up river of all, should be the place where 

 the best spring fishing is obtainable. What attraction is there in 

 the Garry to make it a spring river ? This question has repeatedly 

 been asked. 



With the object of obtaining some definite information on this 

 point I arranged in the winter of 1901-1902 that a series of maximum 

 and minimum temperatures should be taken both in the Garry and 

 in the Ness from instruments kept constantly immersed and read 

 daily at stated intervals. From the readings thus obtained I calcu- 

 lated the weekly means and plotted the results on a chart which is 

 reproduced on page 166. 



The flat and relatively high curve representing the Ness will be 

 at once noticeable, and that through January, February, and March 

 the weekly mean varies less than a degree and a half. The Garry 

 curve, on the other hand, is not only at a much lower level, but is 

 subject to great fluctuations. The temperatures become equalised in 

 the third week of April. I believe the Garry curve in this par- 

 ticular winter to be exceptionally low. There were four weeks of 

 continuous hard frost in February, accounting for the deep V in that 

 month. 



The Upper Garry flows from Loch Quoich, a beautiful sheet of 

 water about 7J miles long. On the northern shore of this loch 

 stands Glenquoich Lodge, which was tenanted for over 30 years by 

 Lord Burton, and visited by the King in 1904 and 1905, during 

 the stalking season. The river Quoich enters about a mile beyond 

 the Lodge, and drains the steep hills between Cluny on the one 

 hand and the head of Loch Hourn on the other. It is a beautiful 

 little mountain river, but of little use for sport. The stream 

 which enters the head of Loch Quoich the Gairowan must be 

 regarded as the source of the river system. It rises on the high 

 ridge of mountains which form the watershed of the country, and 

 which on their western slopes overlook Barrisdale. The ridge is 

 only some two miles from the sea in Loch Hourn, and is the most 

 westerly part of Scotland's watershed. The source of the Gair- 

 owan is 65 miles by river and loch from Inverness. Like the 

 Quoich, this head stream holds a few spawning fish in the autumn. 

 The finest spawning river of this upper district is, however, the 



