THE SOLWAY DEE 403 



directions to the parties about the form and construction of the 

 cruive dykes and boxes, and the construction of the inscales according 

 to law. I venture to think that it must be held that this case is 

 decisive, and determines the point that these Doachs are really 

 cruives, and that they must, consequently, be subject to the provi- 

 sions of the bye-law which now regulates the construction and use 

 of cruives in Scotland." 



About a mile below the Doachs, the Dee flows into the head of 

 its long muddy estuary and is joined by the Tarff tributary, a 

 stream up which sea trout and a few salmon go. In this section two 

 sweep nets are employed, but with the soft banks of the estuary lower 

 down this method is impracticable. By way of further taking toll 

 of the unfortunate salmon, however, the tidal estuary is fished 

 regularly by six fixed engines, and occasionally by a seventh. These 

 also are unlike the contrivances used in any other part of Scotland. 

 They are called yairs. In the quotation given on p. 400, written 

 about the year 1684 a single " fish yair " is referred to, but evidently 

 when the Special Commissioners for Solway Fisheries appointed in 

 1877 made their enquiry the seven yairs had been regularly fished 

 since before 1862. Nevertheless, the Commissioners regarding their 

 position as altogether illegal as apart from the question of use and 

 wont, ordered their removal. Ultimately the Court held that the 

 Commissioners had no right to enquire into the question of legality 

 as a matter separate from " a right to salmon fishing " and " use in 

 the years specified," and the seven yairs were granted certificates of 

 privilege. Four of them belong to Captain John Hope, K.N., of St. 

 Mary's Isle, and three to the Burgh of Kirkcudbright. Captain 

 Hope now rents the town nets and fishes them along with his own. 



In the making of a yair there are two long walls of wattling 

 which converge in V-shape ; these are the leaders. At the apex of 

 the V is an aperture 20 feet broad and practically square. In this, 

 when the tide is up and the yair is fishing, a large net is fixed. 

 The net has a capacious bag which streams out with the current, the 

 sides being fitted on rings which can travel on two upright poles, the 

 bottom being lashed to a cross-beam. A man sits on a frail staging 

 at the top of the net and holds in his hand five fine cords attached 

 to different points in the bag of the net. By holding these fairly 

 tight after the fashion of a man driving a team of horses, he is 

 able to feel a fish strike the bag of the net at any point. As in all 

 other Solway Estuaries, the water is so discoloured with the fine silt 

 in suspension, that he cannot see fish entering the net. When a 



