ANGLING REMINISCENCES. 105 



mer, without being able to discover any traces 

 whatever of the fish. It is possible, indeed, that 

 they carry on nocturnal operations along a piece of 

 shoal ground lying at what may be termed the foot 

 of the loch, opposite Craigdarroch, although I 

 never had the fortune to observe a single straggler 

 during daylight on the spot I mention ; indeed, the 

 occupation of it by a large and voracious species of 

 Canadian water-fowl prevents entirely the intrusion 

 of small fish over this part of Loch Achilty. 



THE RIVER CONAN, LOCH LUICHART, ETC. 



NOT far from this lake runs the Conan, a deep and 

 dark-coloured river, passing in its higher channels 

 through a number of excellent trout ing lochs. 

 Were it not for the cruive fishings near its mouth, 

 Conan would no doubt prove a favourite stream 

 with the angler. The falls also, a short way below 

 Loch Luichart, are a great obstacle to the progress 

 of salmon, which, were they removed, might pro- 

 ceed inland above thirty miles, and over a succes- 

 sion of spawning beds of a first-rate quality. 



It has been in the contemplation of those in- 

 terested in the fishings of this river to blast or cut 

 out a stair-case channel through the bed of rock 

 forming the principal fall, and I have no doubt, 

 were this done, the salmon would immediately take 

 advantage of the improvement. The same experi- 

 ment might be tried at the Rogie falls on the Black- 



