February 4, 1893] 
THE FISHING GAZETTE 
71 
Being rather sceptical about the above, I put it 
before my friend, Mr. George Sim, A.L.S., 
naturalist and pisciculturist, who is one of the 
best living authorities on the inhabitants of the 
ocean. What he said was, “ You surely won’t 
publish that—the folk will laugh at you. The 
‘naturalists’ will have to look again. This is a 
pure case of mistaken identity. It is no fish, 
merely a worm. The borer {^[yxine glutinosa) 
rarely exceeds twenty inches in length, and is a 
fish. Both it and this worm are quite abundant 
along our coasts.” _ 
About the waxwing {Ampelis garndus), Linn., 
l\Ir. Sim told me that on Jan. 3, a specimen 
of this wanderer was shot near New Bitsligo. It 
■was a bird of the first year, and in poor plumage. 
On Jan. 7 another was killed at Lumphanan, 
also in Aberdeenshire; it was a female, and its 
stomach contained a few seeds. 
Tiik recently erected salmon hatchery near 
Fochabers, on the Spey, and which belongs ex¬ 
clusively to the Duke of Richmond and Gordon, 
had laid in it the other day the last batch of ova 
for the season, these being all taken from very 
late spawners. The hatchery is now in full work¬ 
ing order, and the number of eggs in it is 400,000. 
They are placed in twenty-two boxes, eighteen of 
these having glass grill and four gravel beds. 
“ G. M. M.,” Deeside, Aberdeen, writes : “What 
fine running waters have been in the Dee during 
the past ten days. Anglers are rubbing their 
hands with glee. Come 'W'hat will there is certain 
to be a fair opening. Several spring fish have 
already been observed some twenty odd miles 
inland. The amount of damage done to the 
spawning-beds on the middle reaches is variously 
estimated by different authorities. It must be 
considerable, in view of the amount of miniature 
icebergs which passed down with the rising 
floods. I examined as far as possible two of the 
largest redds hereabout, both several hundred 
yards in extent, but could detect no great dis¬ 
turbance. Probably when the bed of the river 
becomes more exposed the ice harrowings may 
become more apparent. It is wonderful how the 
newly deposited ova works down among the 
gravel. This is a wise provision of nature, with¬ 
out which not a vestige of the ova would escape, 
not only the frost and ice, but the innumerable 
other causes of destruction which are ever present 
even under the best of conditions. The Aberdeen 
Amateur Rock Fishers must be a hardy lot. 
They had a competition on New Year’s Day—or 
rather the day after—but details have not yet 
leaked out. They are to hold their annual 
spring smoking concert on Saturday first, 
and this is something more rational than their 
New Year’s freak ’mid snow and ice. The 
salmon sales are to occupy a conspicuous 
place in the Aberdeen Pish Market in future, 
zinc tables are to be provided for the royal fish. 
Poor Andrew MacLeay. I can fully endorse 
“ McBouncer’s ” remarks in his last week’s 
note. • Andrew worked off and on for six or 
eight years with Blacklaw’s, Kincardine O’Neil, 
and many a long chat have I had with him as to 
the incidents of his erratic career. In his palmy 
days he was much sought after, and could easily 
have amassed a little fortune, but his inordinate 
fondness of the “ droppie ” was his Nemesis, who 
followed hard after him to the bitter end. 
Andrew was the personification of gentleness 
itself. Yet he was a bit of a wag when oppor- 
tunity'offered. Once, when dressing some flies 
to order, a gentleman sportsman, but much of a 
novice in angling matters, kept pestering him as 
to the name of this and that fly. “And what is 
this one called you are dressing P ” It happened 
to be a nameless pattern, but Andrew was all 
there, and quickly rejoined, “ It’s the ‘ Slayer,’ 
sor,” and “ Slayer ” it was there and then 
dubbed. MacLeay worked in and about Aber¬ 
deen for nigh a score of years. He did not 
believe in spending money on railway fares, but 
when moving his camp to pastures new, with his 
■wardrolie under his arm and his stick in his hand, 
he took “ Shanks’s mare ” to his journey’s end. 
It should be mentioned that his late brother, Mr. 
MacLeay, Inverness, was very kind to him. He 
did all a brother could. This I have personal 
knowledge of. Again and again Andrew’s 
“ little bills ” were settled from the Highland 
capital ; and when sickness overtook him his 
brother ever came to the rescue. 
Before fixing the parts of your rod into each 
other see that the brasses are touched with oil or 
grease. This keeps the tongue from getting fixed 
in the socket. When a “ stick ” takes place, it is 
too often the case that the gillie at one end and 
the angler at the other do their level best to twist 
the parts away from each other. If a gentle 
wrench be not enough to separate the parts it 
should be left alone. More than this and the 
fibres of the wood get twisted and the rod is 
ruined. It is very often the case, when not pro¬ 
vided with a duplicate piece or a second rod, to 
call in the services of the local smith or carpenter 
to do the needful when an accident happens. In 
nineteen cases out of twenty the repair is per¬ 
formed after a blacksmith fashion, and the days 
of the rod are numbered. In all cases of accident, 
be it fracture or obstinate “ stick,” send to the 
rod-maker at first. It is sure to come his way at 
last, often when its value is hopelessly impaired. 
OoR Inverness-shire correspondent writes : “ I 
mentioned in my note in the Fishing Gazette, of 
the 21st inst., that the rivers in this district were 
below summer level. They are now, and have 
been for the past week, in full flood, giving fish 
every facility to run up. The thaw came on 
gradually, consequently doing little or no damage 
to the spawning beds. I predict good sport to 
intending anglers on the Garry, Loch Oich, the 
Oich, and Loch Ness. This season three hotels 
advertise salmon angling on Loch Ness, viz, 
Lovat Arms Hotel, Chisholm’s Private Hotel, 
Fort Augustus, and Foyers Hotel, Foyers. These 
hotels are situated within easy reach of the best 
angling ground on Loch Ness, and anglers on the 
look-out for first-class angling should apply to 
them. It is a pity that the Fishery Board don’t 
have the angling opened on the above waters on 
the 1st of February instead of the 11th, seeing 
that it can be proved they have as easy a migra¬ 
tion as other waters which open a month before 
them. The present arrangement only benefits 
anglers on the upper reaches.” 
McBotjncer says : “ In the northern portion of 
Easter Ross and adjacent parishes of Sutherland, 
the thaw came so gently and so gradually that, 
notwithstanding the enormous quantities of ice 
which came dosvn the various rivers, such as 
Carron, Oykel, Cassley, and Shin, it is not sup¬ 
posed that much, if indeed any, damage has been 
done, and a good hatching out of young salmon 
is expected. Had the thaw come suddenly and 
accompanied by a heavy spate, the same as last 
year, a lot of mischief would have been done. 
At the end of last week and beginning of the 
present, the weather was abnormally mild, bright, 
and pleasant for the season. In the course of the 
past year Mr. Hugh MacLeod, keeper, Langwell 
Lodge, Strathoykel, killed six full-grown foxes— 
four dogs and two vixens—for which the crofting 
tenants of Strathoykel have rewarded him with 
six fleeces of wool, or one fleece for each fox. Mr. 
Peter Macintosh, head-keeper, Glencassley, 
Sutherland, has evidently reduced the number of 
foxes on that estate. In 1889 he killed or 
captured 48 in all, including cubs; in 1890, 36 ; 
in 1891, 17; while last year he only caught 6, but 
his total bag of vermin included hawks, stoats, 
one polecat, and a wild cat, which measured close 
on 5 feet from snout to tip of tail. 
I HAVE the following correction and note from 
the Duke of Sutherland’s management: “I notice 
in the Gazette of the 14th ult., pp. 19 and 20, it 
is stated that the Thurso, Naver, and Borgie 
opened on the 11th. I cannot speak for the 
Thurso, but the Naver and Borgie do not open 
until the 12th. The order by the Secretary for 
Scotland, published in the Edinburgh Gazette, on 
May 8, 1888, runs ‘. . . . hereby fix and 
determine that the annual close time for the 
Halladale, Strathy, Naver, and Borgie .... 
shall in future extend from the 1st day of October 
to the 11th day of January, both days inclusive.’ 
This is only a trifling matter, but as it is one 
which you would probably desire to be corrected 
about, I trouble you with this letter. No one 
fishing on Naver yet, but anglers are expected 
shortly. Netting was again discontinued at 
Naver mouth last season, and there will also be 
no netting during the coming season.” 
Our Speyside correspondent writes: “ The 
now famous Spey trout fishing case was debated 
last week in the Court of Session, before Lord 
Kyllachy. It may be remembered that in this 
case Mrs. Grant, of Arndilly, seeks to interdict 
John Hendry, inland revenue officer, Craigellachie 
(who really represents the public, for it is in their 
interests that he is fighting the case), for fishing 
for trout in the river Spey opposite her propertie.s 
of Arndilly and Aikenway. The pursuer also 
seeks declai'ator to prevent defender from 
entering upon the bed of the river, and although 
she does not question the right of the public to 
pass along the water, she does question their 
right to pass along the bed or banlcs of the river. 
Defender not only asserts his right to fish, but 
maintains that pursuer had no exclusive title 
quoad the alveus of the Spey, and that, although 
she had a title to the salmon fishings, it was not 
necessarily a title to exclude him from any part 
of the stream, because this river was distinguished 
from other rivers by this fact, that it was known, 
and had been known for at least a century, as a 
public and navigable river, and not a private one 
in any sense, and that being so, the solum 
belonged to the king or the people. A distinction 
between navigable and tidal rivers was admitted, 
but it was not the size or navigability of a river 
that was a criterion of whether a river was public. 
It was the opinion of the people in the neigh¬ 
bourhood.* Defender’s counsel, in closing his 
address, asked for a proof of the prescriptive use 
of the river by the public both of passage and 
fishing for trout. Counsel for pursuer contended 
that in previous cases a demand for proof to set 
up immemorial possession of fishings had been 
refused on the ground that no amount of title 
would give them a title. Lord Kyllachy, in 
taking the case to avizandum, said a right of 
fishing cannot be established as an adjunct to 
the right of navigation, and that the only ques¬ 
tion is whether one can by usage set up the 
peculiar right of navigation which will give one 
the peculiar right of trout fishing. I hear a 
rumour abroad that on this day week (11th), the 
opening day for rod and net fishing, a large 
number of trout fishers are to be on the water, 
notwithstanding the above case now pending.” 
Says our correspondent : “ Tay and Loch Tay 
angling is jogging along in a moderately gratify¬ 
ing way, nothing exceptionally brilliant being 
done by any one. Scarcely any specially note¬ 
worthy weights of fish reported. Water has kept 
high enough in both Loch Tay and River Tay 
during the week, but has fluctuated too much in 
the rirer for the fishing to be good. No good 
takes got except by Mr. Fenton on Bournemouth, 
who had five, six, and seven in three separate 
days, all splendid fish. A most unusual thing is 
a great run of brown fish come up just lately, and 
which are now in great numbers in several parts 
of the river. They,” writes my informant, “ will 
no doubt be taken for perfectly clean fish by 
some people. Whitling are coming about, and 
some very good ones have been got. The 
favourite salmon-fly, and which seems to stand 
pre-eminent this season, is the Nicholson. From 
what I hear (except with Phantom) almost every¬ 
thing seems to have been done with it. The 
Tay’s tributary, the Lyon, has yielded two good 
fish, its first for the season.” 
The Halladale river, Sutherlandshire, is now to 
be fished in beats, being divided into six, to which 
six sporting interests will each be entitled to a 
beat. This will keep the rods separate; formerly 
they all splashed through one another with the 
great “ Halladale Eagle,” terrifying the denizens 
of the forss and Red Nightcap’s big Jock Scott 
firm into a sod in the whirlpool, which made the 
old man think all the time it “ wass a saumon.” 
A splendid run of fish has lately, with the 
higher state of the water, pushed up the E.iver 
Ness into Loch Ness, on their way to the more 
inland waters of the Oichs and the Garry. 
On the whole, salmon disease seems up to now 
to have made less progress in our salmon rivers 
than it did last winter. In one or two rivers, 
* This is an extraordinary argument to nse in a British 
law court. Some Thames anglers would like to apply it 
to the Thames.—E d. F. O. 
