238 THE SALMON RIVERS OF SCOTLAND 



The former run about lo lb. and the latter 5 lb. The two best 

 years in this period were those of 1858 and 1862, the earlier one 

 giving 992 grilse and 53 salmon, while the latter showed no less than 

 1 154 grilse and 55 salmon. 



In 1862 an alteration unfavourable to the nets was made in 

 the estuary, which is remarkable from its being the only case of 

 the kind, as all other alterations have invariably been in their 

 favour. Up to 1862 the Loch Crinan nets had averaged for the 

 previous six years 47 salmon and 673 grilse ; for the thirteen 

 seasons following their mean take was 15 salmon and 255 grilse. 

 The fly is the only lure used ; Jock Scot, Blue Doctor, Thunder and 

 Lightning, and other standard patterns all do well on the Add, if 

 dressed on hooks from size one down to the very smallest. 



The Aray, Douglas, Shira, Fyne, and Kinglas are five small 

 streams falling into Loch Fyne, each holding salmon and sea trout, 

 which in former times were more plentiful than they are now — all 

 of them pretty little streams to fish when in order. The three first 

 belong to the Duke of Argyll, and are preserved. The Aray — or the 

 Water of Worship — has a swift run of about eight miles over a 

 rocky bed, passing close to the Castle on its way to the sea. Three 

 miles from the mouth there are a series of impassable falls, which it 

 would not be worth while to ladder ; therefore, angling is confined 

 from below these falls to the sea, and that at one time it was pretty 

 good will be gathered from the following anecdotes of David Edmi- 

 stone, a whilom keeper at the Castle. They are narrated by Lord 

 Archibald Campbell in his Records of Argyll, and run as follows : — 



" One of the most striking men about the place was the head 

 gamekeeper in bygone days, who talked the very best ' Scotch ' — 

 Lowland Scotch ! He ended his days in Fifeshire, but I am not 

 certain that he came from that county. He always wore a very 

 tall white hat, popularly called a chimney-pot, also a high stick-up 

 collar and necktie — the dress of the days of WiUiam iv. He had 

 the finest set of teeth I ever saw, and as he was continually cracking 

 jokes and laughing loudly at them, his teeth were always much 

 seen. He had a ruddy, healthy colour, dark eyes, and a hooked 

 nose, and was generally a character, whose sayings my father knew 

 by heart and whose accent he had hit off. 



" Dr. W. F. Cumming, commonly known as the ' Long Doctor,' 

 had travelled with the Duke in Greece and other countries before 

 my father married. The doctor came to stay at Inveraray, and was 

 a well-known fisherman, and at one pool he and the Duke had each 

 caught just the same number of fish. David Edmistone managed 

 to attend to both fishermen, landing or gaffing the salmon as they 

 were brought to bank. The Doctor fancied he saw some intentional 

 carelessness in David's way of landing one of his salmon, and on the 

 fish getting off, he turned and began with his well-knowTi, ' Gad, 

 David, I believe you let that fish go on purpose ! ' 



" Edmistone turned on the doctor and said without a blush, 

 ' G — d, doctor ! ye didna think I was going to let ye bate the Duke ? ' 



