340 THE SALMON RIVERS OF SCOTLAND 



Point, excepting Loch Crinan, the loch to be defined by a line drawn 

 from the southernmost point of the mainland Immediately north of 

 Eriska Island, and continued along the outer face of that island to the 

 projecting point of the mainland nearest to the south-west point of 

 the said island, and excepting the portions of the sea-coast and 

 estuary and river, contained between Minard Point and the bridge 

 from the mainland over Siel Sound to Siel Island ; the Awe district 

 to include all the islands within the said limits south of Lismore 

 Island, east of the Island of Mull and north of Jura ; and that the 

 district shall consist of the portions of the sea-coast and the estuary 

 and the river contained between the said points." 



The exception of the coast from Minard Point to Siel Sound 

 Bridge isolates the Nell district, with the little river flowing from 

 Loch Nell to Loch Feochan. It does not seem to provide in any way 

 for the isolation of the Creran district, yet the limits of the Creran 

 district are separately given in the first schedule of the 1868 Salmon 

 Fisheries (Scotland) Act, along with the limits above quoted for the 

 Awe and other rivers. For this reason, therefore, the Creran district 

 is considered along with the Nell district, as separate from, 

 although surrounded by, the Awe district. Curiously enough, no 

 separate mention is made of the Etive, which is twice the size of the 

 Creran, so the Etive is considered as part of the Awe district in spite 

 of the fact that in the last line of the definition first quoted the 

 word " river " and not " rivers " is used, a distinction sufficient to 

 entirely isolate a separate stream in some parts of Scotland. 



Loch Etive, one of the most remarkable sea lochs in Scotland, runs 

 away inland like a huge boomerang for 20 miles, its upper end 

 pointing north-east. Near the entrance, where a marked constric- 

 tion takes place for about a mile and a half of the length of the loch's 

 course, and where also a rocky barrier exists, are the famous Connel 

 Falls, or Falls of Lora, if the Ossianic title is preferred. At low tide 

 the rocks of the barrier, which runs about two- thirds of the way 

 across, stand some 4 to 5 feet above the level of the sea, and the 

 great mass of water which has filled up the inland and wider portion 

 of the loch being unable to recede as fast as the ebbing tide of the 

 more open side seawards, pours over the rocks in a huge rapid or 

 salt-water fall. The cantilever bridge of the Connel and Balla- 

 chulish branch railway now spans the old ferry immediately below 

 the falls. 



Loch Etive forms the estuary of the Awe and Etive, the statutory 

 limits of which are " the point north-west of Dunstaffnage Castle on 



