Ixxvi 



Fourth Annital Report of the 



both inclusive ; those in Ayrshire and on the Scottish shore of the 

 Solway Firth ; and those in the counties of Caithness, Sutherland, 

 "Ross and Cromarty, Inverness, Argyll, and Dumbarton. The valu- 

 able fisheries in the lochs and streams and around the shores of 

 the Orkney and Shetland Islands still remain to be inspected 

 and reported on. Mr Young's Report on the Salmon Fisheries 

 in the Inner and Outer Hebrides forms Appendix G to this 

 Eeport, and we have the honour to inform you that the Board 

 approved of it after having given it careful consideration. 

 Salmon The salmon fishings in the Inner and Outer Hebrides appear to 



Disease. j^g entirely free from the salmon disease, which has manifested 

 itself, at various times during the last ten years, with more or less 

 severity in several of the rivers on the mainland, such as the 

 Tweed, the Tay, the Dee, Don, Deveron, and some of the Ayrshire 

 and Solway rivers. During the past year it has been less virulent 

 than formerly on the Tweed and other infected rivers. The follow- 

 ing return shows the number of diseased fish taken from the Tweed 

 and its tributaries, which have suffered more than any other rivers 

 in Scotland from the ravages of the salmon disease during the last 

 five years : — 



1881. 1882. 1883. 1884. 1885. ,j 



Salmon, . . 2,372* 11,260 3,919 6,665 2,477 

 Grilse, ... 260 1,858 211 951 427 

 Trout, ... 187 1,454 673 2,700 621 . 



Totals, 2,819 14,572 4,803 10,316 3,525 



This gives a total of 36,034 diseased fish in the course of five 

 consecutive years. But the two first years of this quinquennial 

 period show nearly as great a number of diseased fish (17,391) 

 as the three last years (18,646); and the second year (1882), 

 shows a greater number of diseased fish than 1884 and 1885 put 

 together. 



In the beginning of this year Mr Young suggested to the Board 

 that it would be very desirable to have drawings of the most 

 successful salmon-ladders in Scotland, such as the ladder on 

 Deanston dam on the Teith; the pass on Morphie dam on the 

 North Esk ; the subsidiary dam on the Girvan at Bridgemill ; 

 the ladder which has been constructed to enable salmon to pass 

 round the Falls of the Moriston in Inverness-shire; the two 

 'Macdonald Fishways' recently erected on the impassable dams 

 at Westfield and Ashbank on the Erich t ; and the salmon-ladder 

 now in process of construction at the outlet of Loch Doon. These, 

 with the exception of the last-named, have been fully described 

 by Mr Young in his various Keports to the Board. But mere 

 descriptions, however detailed and accurate, give a very imperfect 

 idea of such works; and it is therefore thought that drawings 

 would be advisable in order to illustrate and explain the descrip- 

 tions. 



Colonel Macdonald, of the United States Fish Commission, the 

 inventor and patentee of the Macdonald Fishway, has designed a 



Drawings of 



Salmon 



Ladders. 



Falls of the 

 Tunnmel. 



Includes 171 description not taken. 



