THE BEAULY DISTRICT 183 



The river Cannich is also a rocky stream with falls and rapids ; 

 like the Affric, a stream which is still at an early stage in the form- 

 ation of its valley. The lowest part of the channel, below little 

 Loch Crash, is cut down in the form of a gorge, but the upper waters 

 are hill torrents and rock basins. Loch Lungard is the highest ; then 

 after about two miles Loch Mullardoch, 4 \ miles long, occurs. This 

 gives place to Loch Sealbhag, which, after a long canal-like prolonga- 

 tion, opens into Loch Car. These glens are 700 to 760 feet above 

 sea-level, and along with the Farrar, to which greater reference 

 must be made, form the mountain valley section of the river system. 



Mr. Hinxman 1 of the Geological Survey has well described the 

 Beauly basin as divisible into four well-defined sections the moun- 

 tain valley section ; the flat valley track ; the gorges of Eilean Aigas 

 and Druim ; and the low course of the river between Kilmorack and 

 the sea. The Glass throughout its whole course, and the upper part 

 of the Beauly form Mr. Hinxman's " flat valley tract." The river 

 winds a great deal in the sandy bed of this old valley bottom, the 

 site no doubt of an early lake about thirteen miles in length, which 

 was only drained by the erosion of the conglomerate rocks at Eilean 

 Aigas. Before this erosion took place, it is likely there was a water 

 fall such as is nowhere now to be seen in Scotland. A mile or two 

 from the top of the valley, the scenery of which is very fine, there 

 are some pools of a very inviting character, and a good many fish are 

 taken even in the stiller reaches lower down, which go with the Struy 

 fishings. The banks are, however, inclined to be sandy and steep. 



In the neighbourhood of the junction with the Farrar some 

 interesting water occurs, and the junction pool itself is a beauty. 

 Lower down again, near Erchless Castle, some excellent running 

 pools with gravelly banks occur which yield 70 to 80 fish to the rod. 

 They are pools which might well be converted into good spring 

 fishing water if it was possible at some future time, by the easier 

 passing of the Kilmorack Falls, to enable spring fish to ascend thus 

 far. Although Erchless Castle comes in in the middle of this valley 

 tract and has inviting waters close to its doors, the right of salmon 

 fishing is held by Lord Lovat, a matter which was decided in a 

 somewhat famous case 2 in which the Chisolm of the day argued 

 prescriptive possession "by rod and spear," in order to validate a 

 general title cum piscationibus, but which plea was rejected. As a 

 result of this decision, the water in the neighbourhood of Erchless 



1 The Scottish Geographical Magazine, April, 1907. 



2 " Chisolm v. Fraser," Diet. App. i. voce " Salmon Fishing." 



