of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



11 



found in Note III., p. 53. I afterwards inspected the Kilmorack Falls. 

 At the lower Fall no pass exists, and at the upper Fall a slight pass at 

 the extreme right is alone present. 



A description of the Oonon cruives will also be found in the note Conon. 

 above referred to. The part of the water in this district, which is 

 described as the river Conon, is only about 1 4 miles in length, being 

 that which connects Loch Luichart with the sea at Conon Bridge, yet 

 the drainage area served by the upper waters of Bran and Fannick or 

 Grudie, and by the lower tributaries of Blackwater, Meig, and Orrin, 

 is upwards of 400 square miles in extent. Considering the great 

 extent of most beautiful water which exists in the district, the mileage 

 to which salmon have access is very small. I made a careful inspection 

 of the large Falls at the source of the Conon proper, and also of the 

 Falls on the Bran above Loch Luichart. In my opinion a wider 

 distribution of spawning salmon throughout the district would materially 

 develop the great potentiality of the fishings which appears to exist. 

 Reference to the proposed opening up of the district will be found in 

 the Report of the Commission on Crown Rights in Scottish Salmon 

 Fisheries, p. 13. 



On 9th February 1898 a District Fishery Board was duly constituted Establishment 

 by the Sheriff of Inverness, Elgin, and Nairn for the district of the ^^g^isie 

 river Snizort, being the western district of the Isle of Skye. c f ^ kve> 



Also on 4th May 1898 a District Fishery Board was constituted by 

 the same Sheriff for the district of Sligachan, Broadford, and Portree, 

 being the eastern district of the Isle of Skye. 



I am further able to state that at a meeting of the said Boards, held 

 on 22nd June, the two Boards agreed to combine in maintaining a 

 common staff of officers for the better protection and regulation of their 

 fisheries, in terms of sec. 22 of the Salmon Fisheries (Scotland) Act, 

 1862 (25 & 26 Vict. cap. 97). 



The scientific investigations instituted by my predecessor, Mr. Archer, Salmon 

 in 1894, have, as far as possible, been continued. The extremely j^^jj 

 valuable results which have been obtained were summarised in the last lon ' 

 Annual Report (p. 13). During the past year Dr. Noel Paton and his 

 colleagues have obtained fish, principally from the Spey and Dee, 

 but also to some extent from the upper waters of the Tay, for the 

 purpose of extending the investigations which formed the subject of the 

 Special Report on the Life History of the Salmon which was presented 

 to both Houses of Parliament on 8th March 1898. This additional 

 work is not yet sufficiently advanced to admit of publication, but from 

 a memorandum furnished me by Dr. Noel Paton, I am able to indicate 

 the following as the points principally studied : — 



(1) The conditions governing the migration from sea to river. By 



Dr. Noel Paton and Dr. J. C. Dunlop. 



(2) The source of the colouring matter of the flesh and ovaries. By 



Miss Newbigin. 



(3) The growth of the " hook " on the lower jaw of the male fish 



as the spawning season is approached. By Dr. Crawford. 



For the purposes of (1), His Grace the Duke of Richmond and Gordon, 

 and the Fishery Board for the District of the River Dee (Aberdeen- 

 shire), have kindly supplied 32 fish during the months of February, 

 March, April, May, June, July, and December of 1898, and in January 

 of 1899. The purpose has been to fill up the slight hiatus which existed 

 in the published report. In connection with the inquiry mentioned as 

 (2), Sir John Murray has kindly forwarded a supply of Crustacea from 

 Loch Fyne, and it is hoped that material for purposes of comparison may 

 shortly be obtained from Ireland. The statement in Dr. Noel Paton's 



