8 



Appendices to Tirenty-jlrd Annual Repori 



at tlie right side so as to take advantage of a pocket or diverticulum 

 wliicli already occurs to a slight extent in the sheer rock to the right. It 

 might also be found to be an advantage to deepen the channel for ten or 

 twelve feet above the present crest of the fall. 



ZocJi Plocrapool. — This is a fine sheet of water about 150 yards distant 

 from the sea. The stream coming from the loch offers no serious 

 obstruction to the ascent of fish, but was till recently much choked up 

 with loose rocks. It enters the sea by a winding creek near the mouth 

 of East Loch Tarbert on the south side. The loch is reported to have 

 been famous at one time for its sea trout of good size. A small neigh- 

 bouring tarn, called Loch Graunda, is said to be infested with otters, and 

 these creatures having exhausted the brown trout of Loch Graunda are said 

 to be now the chief cause of the decline of Loch Plocrapool. The clearing 

 of the stream and the destruction of the otters offer no great difficulty, 

 and if no other more human cause for the scarcity of fish exists, sport for 

 three or four rods is here most promising. 



Horsadett River. — On tlie mainland this would probably be described 

 as a large burn, but I understand that in times of flood the volume of 

 water is very considerable. It is certainly one of the most important 

 streams of the east side, draining as it does the steep land towards the 

 centre of the island and having in its course Loch Arran-Mora and Loch 

 Namadale. It flows into the sea at Meavaig on East Loch Tarbert. 

 There are, unfortunately, two falls on the stream, the upper of which is 

 quite impassable, being the most formidable fall but one which I saw in 

 South Harris, At the mouth of the stream is an old and now disused 

 mill, water for which was drawn from above the lower of the two falls, 

 upon the crest of which a few courses of stones had been arranged. This 

 lower fall does not offer very great difficulties of modification for the pur- 

 pose of allowing fish to ascend, but to overcome the upper fall an expensive 

 undertaking would certainly be necessary. . To obviate the necessity of 

 dealing with these falls, it is proposed to entirely divert the course of the 

 stream by cutting a new channel for it, and by making the stream pass 

 through two small lochs which lie to the south of the present channel, 

 describe an extended loop, till it is brought back again into the present 

 mouth. At the same time, by certain small operations of damming and 

 regulating the head waters, artificial floods may be sent down at will, so 

 as to induce runs of fish, after the manner so successfully carried out in 

 the Lews. If these operations are suitably carried out I should 

 anticipate that Horsaclett will become the most important stream and 

 loch chain on the east side of the island. 



Loch-a-Ghnoic-M]iaoi)\ with Lochs Grumra-beag and Grumra mor, 

 form another system which joins the sea at Stockitiish, where there is 

 now a postal-telegraph office. The sea trout fishing here is said to be 

 very good in spite of the fact that there are two dam dykes built across 

 the creek into which the stream flows. The bed of this creek between 

 the dykes ebbs dry and is of firm sand. The tide being out at the 

 time of my visit, I had an opportunity of examining the structures. 

 A considerable crofting population exists at Obbe-Ardvey and on 

 each side of Loch Stockinish. Fish do not ascend to the fresh water 

 lochs till autumn, and the stream, judging by its appearance and small 

 waterflow, can only be entered in times of flood. In the event of the 

 sporting rights being taken advantage of, a little judicious watching 

 during times of flood would probably be sufficient to secure good runs of 

 fish to the lochs above. 



Loch Flodahay, a sea water loch south of Stockinish, and about the 

 centre of the district locally termed The Bays, has also two well-defined 

 dykes. I was informed that the upper of the two dykes was constructed 



