of the Fishery Board for Scotland. 



295 



in good fishing ply. I fished it in 1871 during two afternoons, along with 

 a friend, and we got 60 sea-trout or rather bull-trout, some of them fully 

 4 lbs. in weight. I have heard of fish of 15 lbs. being caught in it, 

 though I never saw them. But any expert could easily tell from the 

 shape of the gill-cover and other signs, whether these large fish are salmon 

 or bull-trout. Salmon, however, appear to frequent the river, as John 

 Lamont, who has been in charge of the Howmore for many years, gives 

 the following information regarding it : — 



I have seen, in one day, 1765 lbs. of fish taken out of one pool by one haul. 

 I have seen, between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., 12 or 15 fish caught with one rod ; 

 each fish weighing between 3 and 8 lbs. The system of protection in South 

 Uist is efficient. The watchers are employed and paid by the proprietor. 

 There are no stake and bag-nets. The chief run of salmon and sea-trout is 

 about the middle of July, sometimes earlier and sometimes later. The main 

 take is salmon. 



Shortly after my arrival at Loch Boisdale, I drove 1 2 mUes to inspect 

 the Howmore. I went down the north side of the stream from the high 

 road and crossed a wooden bridge near the sea where the entrance to the 

 river is very narrow, and where you might easily count the fish running 

 up. They ascend at times in great shoals, and I was told that John 

 Lamont, the old keeper, had on one occasion, counted their numbers, 

 which amounted to 1200. A little above the bridge, the Howmore is 

 joined by the stream from Loch Druidibeg, which, before its junction 

 with the Howmore, winds very much, and is deep and still. The Howmore 

 itself above the junction forms a number of broad deep pools, the 

 favourite haunts of sea-trout, which may be taken in great numbers with 

 the fly, especially after spring flood tides. The river narrows above the 

 pools near the sea, but continues deep and still till a little way beyond the 

 bridge crossing the high road. Then its bed becomes stony and rocky for 

 some distance with a considerable fall, and with no good spawning ground. 

 Beyond this there is a long stretch — quite half a mile — of deep still 

 water, which should be first-rate for sea-trout in the end of the season. A 

 little higher up, where the river takes a sudden bend at right angles, 

 there is a considerable stretch of good spawning ground, and then the 

 channel becomes rocky again. 



The Ruglas. 



On the 7th of July I drove from Loch Boisdale to Milton Farm, one 

 of the chief farms on the flat western side of the island. The smooth 

 green turf above the sand was bright with daisies, as I walked down 

 towards the mouth of the little river Euglas along with Mr Maclean the 

 farmer. The Ruglas rises in Loch Singisclet; passes through, or is con- 

 nected with 5 other lochs, the chief of which are upper and lower 

 Kildonan and Loch Squirb, the last named being scarcely a mile from 

 the sea ; and finally discharges itself into the Atlantic through an artificial 

 tunnel, or covered way, 80 yards in length. Formerly, it fell into the 

 sea through a natural channel a little to the north of the tunnel which 

 was constructed in order to prevent the flooding of the machair or 

 meadow land. There can, I think, be little doubt that a large number 

 of the sea-trout that are pressing upwards towards the fresh water, in the 

 latter half of July and during the autumn months, are unable to reach it 

 on account of this long dark narrow tunnel. But if an open cutting were 

 made, beginning at a point 25 yards below the bridge over the Ruglas, and 

 continued down to the sea, a little to the northward of the tunnel, follow- 

 ing the old bed of the river, I have no doubt that ten sea-trout would 



