THE CASSLEY 213 



miles of beautiful water occur between those falls, the pools being 

 of most interesting character. The river is as it were the best of 

 the Oykell over again on a slightly smaller scale. Many of the 

 turns and pools in the Cassley remind me much of the Helmsdale 

 below Kildonan or on beat three below. 



The spawning ground is particularly good, and I am informed by 

 the river watchers that although there are not as many fish up the 

 Cassley at spawning time as are to be seen up the Oykell, some of the 

 spawning fords, and more especially the Kosal ford, attract more fish 

 than any others in the whole district. As many as 70 pairs of 

 fish have been counted simultaneously making redds in the Eosal 

 ford. If fish had a better chance of distributing themselves over 

 those splendid spawning grounds, the full value of the Cassley to 

 the district, as well as to the immediate owners, would be more 

 nearly realised. 



Both falls are most formidable, and, although some modification 

 of the upper fall has already taken place, the greatest benefit to the 

 river is certainly in the proper opening up of the lower falls at 

 Eosehall. As things are at present one is almost surprised that so 

 many fish appear to manage the ascent. Compared, for instance, to 

 the celebrated Falls of Tummel, which are difficult enough for the 

 class of large fish which attempt them, these lower Cassley Falls are 

 much higher, but thanks to the less concentrated body of water and 

 to the fact that a good large pool exists between the two sections 

 of the fall, the smaller and athletic Cassley fish do manage to sur- 

 mount the obstacles in considerable numbers. Of course, no 

 spring fish do so till quite the end of May or middle of June, and 

 I should say that all gravid fish which run the Cassley at the end 

 of the season are entirely debarred. For the most part the spawning 

 stock of fish are bound to be summer fish. Like other purely hill- 

 fed streams, the Cassley is subject to great fluctuations of level, and 

 fish have therefore to be at the foot of the falls at the most suit- 

 able level for making the ascent, after the water temperature has 

 reached that point which induces our Scottish salmon to leap ; for 

 although Norwegian fish will leap in snow-fed water (and they must 

 do so or forego ascent) our fish will not. 



The total height of those lower falls may be estimated as about 

 30 feet, the upper section being 10-11 feet and more abrupt than 

 the lower section, which is a mass of cascades of varying heights, so 

 that fish have a choice of courses, and do as a matter of fact use the 

 small side channels and cross runs to a considerable extent. 



