400 THE SALMON RIVERS OF SCOTLAND 



the little boys in the neighbourhood might set pike trimmers with 

 advantage. Other base fishes such as perch and eels also abound. 



The river only very gradually merges from the loch-like condition, 

 and for several miles has a tendency to revert to it. Wide bends 

 frequently occur, and several islands of some size are formed as the 

 channel winds onwards. There are many beautiful reaches, and the 

 river is now of large breadth, with rather dark-coloured water, as 

 the name Dee seems to imply. At Agrennan House the waters 

 become more concentrated, and presently the river makes a long 

 straight run to Tongueland. Here a natural barrier of rock has 

 been taken advantage of to construct a series of fish-traps called 

 Doachs (pronounced Dochs). The natural barrier extends almost 

 across the river from the right bank, and the irregularities of this 

 have been built up so that a dyke is formed, which, as a matter of 

 fact, supplies water to the Tongueland Mill. 



There are, however, three openings in this dyke, and these are, or 

 have been in the past, used as fish-traps. They are named the 

 Little Doach, the Priory Doach, and the Big Doach. The Little 

 Doach is commonly left open, and the Priory Doach is sparred up, 

 but the Big Doach is employed as a cruive ; that is to say, a fishing- 

 box is fitted in the gap having, during legal fishing time, a heck 

 across the up-stream end, and inscales for the trapping of fish which 

 find their way barred. The passage left by the open Little Doach 

 is of small avail, as under all ordinary levels of water it stands too 

 high above the pool below to enable fish to ascend. It becomes of 

 service only in flooded conditions. 



These Doachs are very old structures, and one or two singular 

 practices have pertained to them. Speaking of the Solway Dee, in 

 or about the year 1684, one Andrew Symson in his description of 

 Galloway 1 says: "This Eiver is abundantly plenished with excellent 

 salmon. Towards the mouth, whereof Thomas Lidderdail of Isle 

 hath a large fishyard wherein he gets abundance of salmon and 

 many other fish. Two miles above the said town of Kirkcudbrigh, 

 at the Abbacy of Tongueland, just where a rivulet called the water 

 of Tarfle empties itself into the river of Dee, are great Eocks and 

 Craigs, that in a dry summer do hinder the salmon from going 

 higher up, and here it is that Vicecount of Kenmuir, as Bayly to 

 the Abbacy of Tongueland, hath priviledge of a Bayly-day, and 

 f enceth the river for eight or ten days in the summer time prohibiting 



Geographical Collections, etc., made by Walter Macfarlane. Edited for the 

 Scottish Historical Society by Sir Arthur Mitchell. Vol. ii. 1907. 



