Salmon of the Linn of Dee 



were what appeared to be fungoid growths, but which were 

 probably marks of their struggle with the falls. That fish 

 do severely injure themselves is certain, and the thud of a 

 salmon as it strikes the rock is clearly audible above the rush 

 of the water. Often fish, having seemingly lost their sense 

 of direction, take the leap at right angles to the course of the 

 river, with the result that they fall heavily against the rock, 

 and the wonder is that such leaps are not attended with more 

 fatal results than is actually the case. 



It is of interest to note the various types of fish which 

 ascend the lower part of the linn — ^for all healthy salmon can 

 surmount the earlier rapids with comparative ease. Many of 

 the salmon are extremely red — ^some even have reached the 

 stage when they rival in their blackness the peaty water 

 which surrounds them — while others, cock fish, have assumed 

 all the colours of the rainbow, appearing, it might be said, 

 in the tartan of the hill country in which they find them- 

 selves. Now and again, however, a salmon is seen moving 

 up the linn which is still thick-set and firm, one, in fact, that 

 even now would be fit for the table; but such fish are the 

 exception, especially towards the end of the autumn run. 

 The weight of the salmon is small ; from five to seven pounds 

 may be said to be an average size, though fish of twelve 

 and even fifteen pounds are occasionally noted. 



It is of interest to observe the various methods employed 

 by the salmon in negotiating the rapids of the linn, and I have 

 noticed that the most successful are those fish which do not 

 leap clear of the water, but which bore through the rush with 

 such quick movements that they have reached the pool above 

 almost before one realizes the fact. In the small "pots" 

 between the rushes many salmon lie, recuperating their 

 energies for a further attempt at forcing a passage. Some 

 of these holes are almost circular in shape, and the 

 salmon, sometimes so numerous as to appear in tiers, and 

 all facing the current, present a memorable sight. The 

 passage of the linn is occasionally attempted by brown 



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