36 THE SALMON RIVERS OF SCOTLAND 



Ross was strongly of opinion the bird brought the egg in her claws, 

 and did not lay it after settling, for she began to peck at the very 

 moment she lit. Could this have been an old hen past breeding, 

 that had taken an egg from the nest of a younger hen and was 

 destroying it in a fit of jealousy ? 



Now, to return to the Helmsdale lodges. Six miles farther on 

 is Torrish, " the Fort by the water," held for upwards of thirty 

 years by Mr. Alexander I^Iacfarlan, and to his kindness I am indebted 

 for my first cast on the Helm, as on the 8th of June 1899 he mag- 

 nanimously gave me his turn on No. 6 beat, which, as the river was 

 dead low, offered, from its many rushing, narrow streams, nearly 

 the only chance of sport ; and from the Rock Pool I took the two 

 smaUest grilse I have ever caught — just 2^ lb. each ! So small did 

 they seem to me that I would have it they were sea trout, and not 

 until I compared one with the other was I fully convinced. When 

 the two are laid side by side, it will be seen that the sea trout has a 

 straighter tail than the grilse, also he has more spots on both sides 

 of the lateral line, while on the lower side the grilse seldom has any 

 spots : there may be at times one or two, but never many. 



The other two lodges are on the right bank of the river, the 

 more northern being Badenloch, rented by ^lessrs. F. and J. B. 

 Taylor, and the other, some twenty miles from Helmsdale, Borrobol, 

 may be said to have had but one tenant ever since it was first let, 

 for Mr. F. Sykes, the present one, succeeded to his father, who was 

 the first occupant. 



These six lodges divide the whole water into twelve beats, 

 six upper and six lower ones, each getting two beats a day, to one 

 of which they can send a friend. Kildonan Bridge is at the top of 

 the lower beats, and is No. 6, and the rod having No. 6 on the lower 

 beat has also No. 6 on the upper beat, and so on all down the water. 

 Beat No. i is nearest the sea, and Torrish always starts the season 

 on it and sets the rotation for all the other five lodges. 



The river opens for the rod on the nth of January and closes 

 on the 30th of September. The nets begin work on the nth of 

 February and continue till the 26th of August ; but I cannot help 

 thinking it would be better for the river, and eventually show a 

 greatly increased yield of fish, if the nets ceased on the 15th of 

 August and the rods on the 15th of September. 



The best months for salmon are March and April, and for grUse 

 any time after the first spate that comes at the end of May. Salmon 

 average 10 lb. and grilse 5 lb. In the early part of the season an 

 eighteen-foot rod and heavy line, and wading trousers, will be 

 required. In April a rod of sixteen feet will do, and then alter the 

 middle of May a stout trout rod is handiest ; and further on there 

 will be found a graphic account of what may be accomplished wth 

 so small a wand of attack. Fly is the only lure used ; sizes ranging 

 from 7/0 to 4/0 in the early months, and gradually decreasing 

 to the smaUest double hooks. With the exception of the Blue 

 Doctor, all the standard patterns kill, although Walter :\Iackay, the 



