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Appendices to Second Annual Report 



the Board, page 137. It would then be competent to District 

 Boards, in the case of a river such as the Nith, where a longer 

 close time than 168 days would be clearly desirable, to petition 

 for such longer close time, instead of being tied up^ as at present, 

 to the hard and fast period of 168 days. 



The Urr. 



The river Urr rises in Urr Loch, on the borders of Dumfriesshire. 

 It has a course of 25 miles and a drainage area of 117 square miles. 

 It joins the Sol way Firth about ten miles to the eastward of the town 

 of Kirkcudbright, between the mouths of the Mth and the Dee. 

 Its estuary at its junction with the Solway is nearly two miles 

 wide, but is almost dry at low water. The tide flows seven miles 

 up the channel of the river towards the town of Dalbeattie. There 

 are a number of mills and manufactories on the banks of the Urr 

 and on the Dalbeattie burn, which runs into it, and which supplies 

 valuable water power. The dams connected with these works, 

 having no passes, obstruct the ascent of salmon, while the lades 

 in dry weather abstract the greater proportion of the water from 

 the river. The Urr is decidedly a late river. Last autumn a District 

 Board was constituted for the Urr ; and since then the Board have 

 petitioned the Secretary of State for an alteration in the annual 

 close time, making it later in its commencement and termination 

 than the present close time, which is from 10th September to 24th 

 February, with extension of time for rod-fishing to 31st October ; 

 whereas the close time petitioned for by the Board was from 25th 

 September to 1st March for nets, and 30th November to 1st March 

 for rods. 



The Dee. 



The Dee is naturally one of the most productive and important 

 rivers that flow into the Scotch side of the Solway Firth. It 

 has a drainage area of 359 square miles ; forms an estuary shortly 

 before reaching Kirkcudbright ; and joins the Solway six miles 

 below that town. It issues from Loch Dee, which is situated in 

 a wild romantic mountain region, remote and difficult of access. 

 The trout in this loch are of large size and fine quality. One 

 of 12 lbs. was killed by Mr Snowdon Henry from Kirouchtree; 

 and on one day in July 1870 two rods captured with the fly 37 

 trout weighing 34 lbs. The best fishing months are April, May, 

 and June. After leaving this Loch, the Dee receives the waters of 

 Cooran Lane, a considerable stream springing from the Kells range 

 of mountains, not far from the borders of Ayrshire and the head 

 waters of the Doon. The Ken, which rises between Lorg and 

 Blacklorg hills, 1870 feet above the sea. is a larger stream than 

 the Dee, and has a course of 28 miles before its confluence with 

 the Dee opposite Parton Station. Below New Galloway, it 

 expands into a lake called Loch Ken, five miles in length, which 

 abounds with pike. The largest pike ever caught in Scotland was 



