10 



Apjmidices to Tiventn-jirst Annual Rejioft 



The stream which enters Loch-iia-Morach descends from Loch 

 Langavat, the largest loch in Harris (about 2| miles long), but the 

 mouth of this stream, which I visited, has in the past been closed from 

 August till the end of the fishing season by a heck of iron rods inserted 

 through a large wooden beam spanning the river. The purpose of this 

 is to prevent fish ascending beyond this point. The principal spawning 

 area is in this stream from Loch Langavat, the fish gaining access to it 

 and the smaller head waters by the removal of the heck (or part of it) at 

 the end of the fishing season. 



The only other river of South Harris to which I desire to refer is the 



Laxdale. — This stream drains a chain of four lochs near the track of 

 the road which crosses over to the west side of the island, to reach 

 Rodel by Borve and Obe — the one road of South Harris which exists as 

 yet. The Laxdale has a remarkable estuary, about two miles in length, 

 of flat hard sand left bare at low tide. Over this the stream winds with, 

 evidently, a somewhat variable course, but trending more and more, as it 

 proceeds, to the northern or right side, till it emerges by a deep channel 

 at Luskintyre opposite the island of Taransay. At the head of the 

 estuary, where a small fall exists, a broad and substantial retaining 

 wall has been erected so as to form a small loch or large pool above. This 

 is reported to fish well from July onwards. A tidal pool just below the 

 barrier — round which fish can ascend without difiiculty — also yields good 

 sport. At the time of my visit, 5th July, a few fish had already ascended 

 to the tidal pool, but, as is the case with other late streams of the district, 

 runs of fish from this date onwards occur only when floods, or partial 

 floods, enable the fish to leave the sea. 



Before driving from Tarbert to Stornoway, a distance of 36 miles, I 

 visited the remarkable works in North Harris which were undertaken in 

 1885 for the purpose of enabling salmon and sea trout to ascend by the 

 Ballin-a-ciste to Loch-na-Morcha. The loch is about a mile from the sea, 

 but is 469 feet above sea level. I do not think that there exists anywhere 

 in Scotland so long and so high a fish pass. A great amount of labour 

 and money must have been spent upon the works. The loch was dammed 

 and sluiced, the stream was in part diverted, in part formed into pools by 

 a long series of zig-zag walls, enclosures, and channels, somewhat after 

 the manner of the pass on the Carnack, a tributary of the Fleet in East 

 Sutherland. I understand that after its completion the pass was described 

 as a complete success. Those in the district seem now to agree that it is 

 a complete failure. It was clear at the time of my visit that the stream 

 had long since been allowed to find or make its own way down the steep 

 glen. Embankments had burst, artificial channels were waterless, and 

 pools were filled with silt. Indeed, several quite impassable falls are now 

 in existence. 



I was unable to visit the famous Loch Scourst, or the stream called 

 Amhuinnsuidhe (Avonsui), which at Fincastle descends from a chain of 

 lochs in the centre of North Harris forest, but I was informed by Mr. 

 Sinclair, factor to Sir Samuel Scott of North Harris, that the pass in the 

 latter is very successful. It is of comparatively easy gradient, though of 

 considerable extent, and is blasted out of the solid rock. Sea trout fishing 

 in the lochs above is reported to be constantly reliable in summer. 



Lewis 



Netting. — In the Fourth Annual Report Mr. Archibald Young mentions 

 the netting stations of the Lews as : — 



1. Barvas Bay on the west side, a bag net station, and the chief 

 netting centre. 



