of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



opened up a considerable pool below the weir in consequence. There is 

 no gap or fish-pass, and the height of the obstacle is about three feet, with 

 a gradient estimated as about one in three, but the pool below gives a 

 better " take off" to ascending fish than is seen at any of the other weirs. 

 The appearance of the stones below the pool suggests that at one time 

 there has been an apron. The present pool is, however, an advantage, so 

 far as ascending fish are concerned. The gap and fish-pass should, in my 

 opinion, be to the left of the middle of the sill at the slight angle already 

 referred to. The lade is carried off from the right bank, the water going 

 to a farm mill. There is a suitable heck of horizontal bars. At the tail 

 race there is also a heck which conforms to the requirements of the statute. 

 Unfortunately, as in the case of the Cantray lade, the water is not 

 discharged above the next weir. I received no explanation of this 

 circumstance, and, if the levels permit, considerable advantage to the 

 river would result if the tail race could be brought in above the next 

 weir. 



Nairn Side Weir, below Whitebridge, the property of Major Rose of 

 Kilravock, is, in my opinion, an obstruction as serious as Holme Eose 

 Weir. The river is comparatively shallow below; the weir is three feet 

 high, with a down-stream face of ten to ten and a half feet, and an apron 

 of seven and a half feet. There is no fish-pass. As in the case of the 

 Holme Rose Dam, the present river channel seems to me to indicate that 

 the entrance to the pass should be twenty yards from the right bank 

 (measuring from where a small tree now stands). The lade is carried off 

 from the left bank to a farm mill, and owing to the flat nature of the 

 surrounding country, is of great length. It is sluiced and provided with 

 both an upper and lower heck, but in wading round about the intake I 

 found that there was considerable cavity scoured out 'below the heck. 

 Kelts dropping down the river after spawning are very apt to pass tail 

 foremost through such low openings. 



Miltoun of Kilravock Weir, the property of the Major Rose of 

 Kilravock, while being the lowest down weir, has also the longest length 

 of sill. It is a somewhat irregular structure slanting from the left bank, 

 where the intake to the lade is situated, in an up-stream direction. There 

 are two alder-clad islands below, so that the water passing over the sill is 

 formed into three separate channels. The island towards the right, 

 looking down-stream, is the larger of the two, being 130-150 yards long; 

 and the streams round the smaller island having united before the lower 

 end of the large island is reached, it follows that the channel between the 

 two islands has the most attractive lead-up for ascending fish. At the 

 top of this central stream the weir is only slightly more than two feet in 

 vertical height, the down-stream face being five and a half feet long. At 

 this point, also, the apron is wanting, while a short distance towards the 

 left bank a portion of apron comes to an abrupt point. It occurred 

 to me that, given a gap in the unaproned part, a pool might easily and 

 with great advantage be formed by running a small subsidiary dam across 

 from the point of apron to the island bank, thus flushing the sloping face 

 of the weir and giving an easy ascent to fish at a point some sixty-three 

 or sixty-four yards along the sill from the left bank. The lade to the meal 

 mill is suitably supplied with hecks. 



On completing my examination of the weirs and lades I drove into the 

 town of Nairn in order to view the Sewage Farm of the burgh. This is 

 situated to the east or opposite side of the river from the town. A small 

 amount of sewage enters the river direct, near the railway bridge. This, 

 however, does not appear to me to materially affect the water. The main 

 sewer of the town — which conveys domestic sewage alone, there being no 

 manufactories — is taken across the river, the pipe being utilised as a foot- 



