of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 1 1 



Ayr. 



I am informed that since the erection of the fish-pass at Over 

 Mills Dam the number of fish noticed in the river at and above 

 Auchincruive has greatly increased. It is necessary, however, also 

 to remember that Mr. Oswald, the chief proprietor of the district, 

 has removed all the nets which formerly used to be worked at the 

 mouth of the river and on the coast on either side. There are now, 

 in fact, no nets fished in the whole district. The Ayr has a catch- 

 ment basin of 220 square miles, being therefore considerabty 

 larger than the Doon, Girvan, or Stinchar, which drain respectively 

 126, 96, and 129 square miles (the drainage to Loch Ryan being 

 included in the Stinchar district). The comparatively small rental 

 of the Ayr continues, however, because the upper part of the Ayr 

 district is quite valueless owing to the impassable dam-dykes 

 which have been erected, and apparently allowed to remain unchal- 

 lenged, at Catrine. The upper spawning grounds, the natural 

 breeding places for early-running fish, are entirely cut off, and even 

 the water some distance below Catrine, as well as the Lugar tribu- 

 tary, have till recently been left to the will of the local fish-catcher, 

 who, I have had evidence to show, is not at all particular either as 

 to his methods or as to the season of his operations. During my 

 visit to the district last June I made a special inspection, in com- 

 pany with the Clerk of the District Fishery Board, of the obstruc- 

 tions at Catrine, and before leaving the district I also inspected the 

 Lugar water, an important tributary which drains 86 square miles 

 of country, i.e., only 10 miles less than the whole river Girvan. 

 The river was at summer level during my visit, and I, therefore, 

 had ample opportunity not only of inspecting the obstructions but 

 also the bed of the river in the neighbourhood. At Catrine the 

 large works of Messrs. James Findlay & Co., spinners, bleachers, 

 &c, are situated ; and in taking power to these works an extensive 

 lade and an aquaduct have been constructed to lead the water to the 

 famous Catrine wheels. These two water-wheels develope, I am 

 informed, 500 h.p. They work side by side in unison, each wheel 

 being 50 feet in diameter and 1 2 feet wide. I was able to view the 

 wheels in the lofty power-house, and anyone doing so could not fail 

 to be impressed not only by the enormous structures themselves, 

 but by the great quantity of water used in driving them. At the 

 time of my visit the river between the intake and outfall of the lade 

 was practically dry ; indeed, Mr. Macrorie and I walked up the bed 

 of the river for a distance of, I suppose, about three-quarters of a 

 mile, to inspect the dam-dykes. We could cross freely from side to 

 side as no water was descending the river, and only pools remained 

 here and there, in which shoals of minnows sported. The whole 

 river Ayr at this point was carried through Messrs. Findlay's lade. 

 I have only once previously witnessed the total abstraction of a 

 river of any size, and this at Messrs. Pirie's, Stoneywood Works, 

 on the river Don, recently the subject of important litigation. 

 On ascending the river, towards the intake of the lade already 

 mentioned, one first comes upon a dam-dyke about four and 

 a half feet high, situated at an iron foot-bridge some 150 yards 

 below the main weir which turns the water into Messrs. Findlay's 



