102 A VERTEBRATE FAUNA OF THE MORAY BASIN. 



of throwing a fly, or, until of late years, of ' trundling a worm,' the 

 river Deveron owes in great degree its good character as a trout- 

 stream, even in its open reaches. Only in the neighbourhood of 

 Huntly can it be said to be heavily fished. The rivers Bogie, Isla, 

 and other tributaries are much fished by the inhabitants of Keith 

 and Huntly, and yield good baskets of yellow trout. But it is at 

 the same time sad to learn that, without doubt, these streams are 

 heavily poached and netted by Huntly and Dufftown poachers, 

 even the free-fishing reaches above Huntly suffering from such 

 scoundrelly devastations. 



The valley of the Deveron is much contracted at most parts 

 along its right bank from its source downwards till within about 

 sixteen miles of the sea. Upon this right or eastern bank it re- 

 ceives the principal feeder — the Bogie — at Huntly, but continues 

 to flow closer to the right watershed than to the left, though the 

 watershed itself widens perceptibly. The sky-line of the eastern 

 watershed then follows a somewhat sinuous and not very easily 

 traceable line from Kennethmont and Winds Eye, through un- 

 dulating agricultural uplands, past the Wells of Ythan, and the 

 left bank of Idoch Water, which joins the river Deveron at 

 Turriff. 



In continuation of our description, the eastern watershed out- 

 runs at Cairnbulg Point, thus following the definition given in the 

 map which accompanies the Twelfth Eeport (1885) of the Inspector 

 of Salmon Fisheries of Scotland. This boundary line then turns 

 round the head- waters of the Ugie with an easterly trend, and run- 

 ning parallel or nearly so with the coast, includes, in the Moray 

 drainage system, the burn of Philorth or Eathen, and the whole 

 coast east of Troup Head. 



On the western side, the valley is somewhat wider throughout, 

 including as it does the watersheds of the numerous burns of the 

 Upper Cabrach, and of the Black water and the Treble Burn, which 

 join at the Lower Cabrach ; of the Markie, near Beldorney, in 

 Middle Deveron; and lastly, of its largest tributary the Isla. 

 After winding round by Drummuir and the head-waters of the 

 Isla, to the west of Keith, the sky-line then makes off towards the 

 Bin of Cullen, mounts its crest, and goes out at the Scarnose Point 



