THE STINCHAR 385 



Girvan, but at once flows west, whereas the Girvan, as already 

 explained, goes north and west to Kirkmichael, and only then assumes 

 the course parallel to the main flow of the Stinchar. The extreme 

 length of the river is about 27 miles, from its moorland source to 

 the sea at Ballantrae. 



The region of Carrick, through which the Stinchar passes, is 

 more hilly than is the case with the Ayrshire rivers further north. 

 Moreover, the whole course is free from the coal pits and other 

 sources of pollution which so seriously affect the neighbouring 

 rivers. Throughout its course this beautiful little river has a most 

 agreeable gravelly bed; pools and streams often alternate most 

 pleasantly ; from time to time, and more especially in the lower 

 reaches, it is pretty closely wooded, but there is a fine running 

 character in the stream which adds greatly to the enjoyment of 

 angling. 



There are dam dykes at Daljarroch and Pinclantie, nine and 

 twelve miles up-stream respectively, but when the river is in 

 running order, these do not offer much difficulty to ascending fish. 



The gravel in the lowest reaches is liable to a good deal of 

 shifting by the action of floods, and at the mouth of the river 

 a great quantity has accumulated. This, owing to the opposing 

 actions of sea and river, is piled up now here now there, and very 

 commonly a considerable lagoon exists behind an extensive beach 

 of gravel. Occasionally, during dry summer weather, the volume 

 of water in the river is insufficient to maintain its combat with 

 the waves, and the mouth practically closes altogether, the fresh 

 water percolating through the substance of the gravel bank. On 

 a larger scale this unfortunate condition has in the past existed 

 both at the mouth of the Spey and at the mouth of the Deveron. 

 In each case now, however, a direct mouth for the fresh water has 

 been cut to the sea. It is clear that whenever a lagoon forms 

 behind a bank of gravel, a great waste of water results. The con- 

 centration of flow is lost, and consequently the attractive powers 

 of the river mouth to fish in the sea is greatly diminished. 



The estuary is defined as " A portion of a Circle of 350 yards 

 radius drawn from a centre placed mid-channel of the Kiver where it 

 joins the sea at low- water of Equinoctial Spring Tides, and continued 

 by Tangents to the Circle drawn at right angles with the Shore." 

 With a changing river-mouth and bag nets fished in the vicinity, it 

 is necessary, in order that the benefit of such an estuary be secured 

 to the river, that remeasurement be resorted to after each change of 



2B 



