of the. Fuhery Board for Scotland. 



291 



any decrease in the yield of this fishery. We believe that the yield in Carmar- 

 then Bay and Ln the Wash is equally sustained. 



To the above I may add, from the same Report, that from 600 to 

 700 people and 100 carts are employed in collecting cockles in Morecambe 

 Bay alone. 



Barra seems to be the only one of the Outer Hebrides where they carry 

 on a considerable export trade in cockles. Three hundred years ago 

 Dean Monro wrote of the ' Grate sandes of Barray ' ; — 



Ther is na fairer and more profitable sands for cokills in all the warld. 



And he tells the following curious story of the belief of the Barra, people 

 as to the origin of the cockles : — 



In the north end of this ile of Barray ther is ane round heigh know, mayne 

 grasse and greine round about it to the heid, on the top of quhilk ther is ane 

 spring and fresh water well. This well treuly springs up certain little round 

 white things, less than the quantity of ane confeit corne, lykest to the shape 

 and figure of ane little cokill, as it appearit to me. Out of this well runs tlier 

 ane little strype downwith to the sea, and quher it enters into the sea, ther is 

 ane myle braid of sands, quhilk ebbs ane myle, called the Trayrmore of Kill- 

 baray, that is, the Great Sandes of Barray. This sande is all full of grate cokills, 

 and alledgit be the ancient countrymen, that the cokills comes doun out of 

 the forsaid hill throughe the said strype in the first small forme that we have 

 spoken ofi", and after coming to the sandes growes grate cokills alwayes. 



I find the following interesting statement concerning the cockle 

 industry in Barra, in the ' Scotsman ' of 8th January last : — 



For some time it has been known that there was a productive cockle bed 

 near the north end of the island of Barra, but it is little more than 12 months 

 since any quantity was gathered and sent to market. A market, however, 

 having been found for the cockles in England, larger aud larger quantities were 

 sent off, week by week, by the crofters and others — all and sundry being allowed 

 to gather whatever quantity they chose — until in one week the quantity reached 

 1200 bags. Something over 10,000 bags have been shipped within the last 

 three months ; but the prices have come down very much owing to the 

 enormous quantities sent south, and the net returns to the Barra men would 

 not average much above 2s. per bag. Even this small sum pays the labour well 

 enough, however, and would represent over £1000 brought to the island in the 

 three months. The steamers which conveyed the cockles to Oban and Greenock 

 must have netted more than half that sum as freight, and the various railway 

 companies over JIOOO for carriage. The bed has every appearance of con- 

 taining an almost inexhaustible supply, and it would be, indeed, a valuable 

 mine to the poor islanders, who this year above all others require some means 

 of subsistence besides their crofts, were the steamer communication more fre- 

 quent. At present, cockles can only be sent away once in 10 days, conse- 

 quently, enormous quantities are thrown into the market in one day, to the 

 ctetriment of the senders. 



Sea and Loch-Trout at Valhuj, the Manse Loch, ^c. 



There is a large and deep sea-pool in one corner of the bay at Vallay, 

 in which, at certain states of the tide and seasons of the year, there is good 

 fishing for sea-trout. 



The manse of Isorth Uist stands clo^-e to a beautiful fresh-water loch 

 of about 60 acres, containing fine red-fleshed trout of excellent quality, 

 v/hich have been caught as heavy as 2 J lbs., and are quite commonly a 

 pound weight. There is another capital trouting loch on the glebe. 



At Hogary, there is a mill where the passage of salmon and sea-trout 

 to a good fresh water loch is prevented in a manner similar to that which 

 I have descril)ed at Mullanageren. In this case, I think that fish would 



