60 Appendices to Twenty-sixth Annual Report 



Beauly and Ness have a common estuary, the Inverness Firth, and if 

 this dropping back habit is at all frequent the reascent of either river is 

 simple. Early fish are not able to ascend the Beauly beyond Kilmorack, 

 as the falls there are too steep for any Scottish fish to attempt while 

 the winter temperatures continue in the water. I say Scottish fish ad- 

 visedly, as many anglers who go to Norway for much of their sport do 

 not understand that Scottish fish will not ascend falls in snow water or 

 in thermal conditions which are associated with our winter months. 



It is quite possible, therefore, that in the Beauly winter fish are more 

 liable to this dropping habit than in other rivers. Further marking of 

 spring fish in Ness and Beauly may elucidate the matter locally. 



It has to be recollected, however, that in the Ness district a 

 particularly fine class of spring fish ascend the river and pass through 

 the loch (which is 24 miles long), ascend the river Oich into Loch Oich, 

 and provide the famous spring fishing of the river Garry which enters 

 Loch Oich. The river Garry appears to have no summer or autumn 

 run of fish, but to be dependent upon this run of spring fish alone, and 

 those fish inhabit the lower Garry till the rising temperature at the end 

 of April or early May makes them inclined to face the falls of Garry ; 

 subsequently the upper Garry is supplied with fish. In the autumn the 

 Garry fish spawn in the Kingie and upper streams of the main river. 

 This does not allow for much descent of fish. I am glad to be able to 

 report, however, that last spring, through the kindness of the Ellice 

 Trustees and the Duke of Portland, I commenced marking those Garry 

 fish, both kelts and clean, and that in the autumn of this year I hope to 

 be able to continue my observations in this district. 



Increase of Weight, Kelt to Clean Fish. 



As previously explained, it is necessary, in attempting to gain a fair 

 impression of the increase of weight, that not only the fish of long 

 habit in the sea should be separated from those exhibiting the short 

 habit, but that fish should also be classified according to their river 

 district, so far as this appears at date of marking. In the following 

 Tables coastal recaptures are omitted. 



Long. 



District. 



No. 



Increase. 

 Lb. 



Interval. 

 Months. 



Average. 



Tay . 



6,498 



15 



17 





Do. ... 



9,187 



161 



16 





Do. ... 



9,293 



121 



16 





Do. ... 



1,491 



121 



141 





Do. ... 



1,453 



7 



18 





Do. ... 



9,198 



8 



12 





Do. ... 



9,427 



11 



13 











Uj lb. in 15 



Helmsdale 



1,564 



7 



181 



months. 



Do. . 



1,582 



11 



191 









9 lb. in 19 

 months. 



