458 
THE EISHING GAZETTE 
[June 17, 1893 
of nests. One party of two fishers, who main¬ 
tained the fight for some time, used their fishing- 
rods vigorously, but the cries of the owls brought 
fresh combatants on the scene, and the gentlemen 
rather hurriedly beat a retreat from the neigh¬ 
bourhood of the nest. The owls continued their 
attacks until the anglers were at a considerable 
distance from the nest. 
Those two models of short Highland rivers— 
Awe and Shin—famous for their large salmon, 
and, in their low'er lengths, for their cliff, rock, 
and wood scenery, and which both issue from 
great lochs that keep them from being long in 
running out, have at last felt the effect of the 
great and continuous drought, and are now it is 
reported low indeed, and not in order for salmon 
angling. Last w’eek, however, one fish was got on 
the Shin, and another on the Awe, and on Satur¬ 
day the first Awe grilse of the season, which it is 
said weighed 61b., was landed by Dr. Shiels. 
This is a most uncommon weight for an early 
June grilse. Yet, it may have been a grilse, but 
much more likely a shargar salmon. 
Mr. Angus Morrison, of Melvich Hotel, got a 
few nice baskets of trout from his stocked lochs 
last week. He had ninety-three weighing 451b., 
which is just touching the Mb. average. 
The St. Mungo (Glasgow) Club's competition 
cii Loch Leventhis week, resulted in Mr. Steven¬ 
son securing first place with eight trout weighing 
61b. lOoz. _ 
The Tay angling meantime is all to slates , or, 
as some might put it, to “ pigs and whistles.” 
Not a thing is being done, and all the fancied 
dons of the riverside are completely out of it in 
their attempts to get fish. Our correspondent 
remarks that the state of matters is “simply 
nauseating.” _ 
Mr. David Murray, tackle maker, Brechin, 
writes: “ The rivers here I never remember of 
having seen so low, and no sport worth the name 
is being had. The kelts which I spoke of a 
month ago are still disporting themselves at the 
base of JBrechin Castle. I am afraid, like the 
London costers when trade is dull, they will not 
get to the ‘ seaside ’ this season. Most anglers 
have thrown up the sponge, which I think is 
sensible, as there is no use retaining it when ‘ the 
water is away.’ The other day a strange ex¬ 
perience came to a ‘ Glen of Lethnot ’ angler on 
the West Water. He had hooked a parr, and 
when in the act of pulling it out it ivas seized and 
swallowed by a large trout. After a deal of 
trouble and anxiety the pair were landed safely, 
the trout, after disgorging the parr, scaling 41b. 
The Cruick water has about evaporated, and 
anglers are as a rule leaving it severely alone. In 
spite of this fact, I am glad to state that I met a 
little bare-footed lad on Saturday evening re¬ 
turning from this stream with a dozen of very 
nice trout about herring size, which, considering 
the state of the water, was creditable indeed, and 
ought to bring the blush to the cheek of more 
pretentious sportsmen. On asking the young 
hero what he killed them with, be replied—‘ I 
got them wi’ the flea, and it was fell kittle wark 
tae get ony,’ ” _ _ 
An Aberdeen correspondent writes : “ Towards 
the end of last week the sea-coast salmon-fishing 
fell off a good deal, but the first half of the 
current week there was a decided improvement; 
in fact it is now beyond expectation, and should 
the weather prove favourable, there is every 
indication of a good summer fishing. Very seldom 
have I seen the month of May and the first part 
of June produce so many salmon from the sea. 
The salmons’ average weight at present is from 
101b. to 111b., while a good few of the larger fish 
scale from 201b. tol.llb.; one of the latter weight, 
a perfect picture, was got from the Don fishings 
this (Wednesday) morning. The rivers are 
doing next to nothing, owing to the low state of 
the water; the fish positively refusing to ascend 
them, 'riie grilse have fallen off during the past 
fortnight, and (Tannot be got in nearly such num¬ 
bers as befoye. We are greatly in want of rain, 
and even though we only got as much as would 
raise the rivers two or three inches, it would do a 
great amount of good. I believe a heavy spate at 
the present time would do more harm than good. 
There are very few lean fish being got, and diseased 
ones coming in from the sea is utterly unknown 
and all ‘ gammon,’ despite the Mackay’s and the 
Mackintosh’s asseverations. Grilse are rather 
backward in size in the meantime, and don’t seem 
to be growing fast. Their quality is very good, 
although lots of them are not over 21b. The 
average would not exceed 3|lb., but there are a 
few of from 41b. to 4|lb. Sea-trout are still look¬ 
ing beautiful, but not great numbers of them are 
being got because the rivers are so low and clear 
that they refuse to run them. I am afraid that 
unless we get rain the sea-trout fishing will prove 
a failure for this year. Last week some sea-trout 
up to 41b. and 51b. weight were got; the average 
weight, however, was not over 21b. 
Last Saturday, in the Dundee club competition 
on Loch Leven, Mr. G. B. Black secured first 
place with fifteen trout of 91b. 6oz. 
The Salmo ferox of Loch Laggan must be tiny 
things and hardly worth the bother, patience, 
and waste of time expended in trying to effect 
their capture. For a whole fortnight three rods 
—that is three anglers, each with probably two 
rods—w'ere out after them, with the result that 
eleven were secured, weighing from 81b. to Iflb., 
the average weight being much nearer the latter 
than the former figure. 
A number of the large lochs of the Scottish 
Highlands, including Awe, Eannoch, Shin, 
Laggan, Ericht, Garry, Assynt, have within 
the week yielded specimens of the so-called ferox 
from 61b. upwards. _ 
The annual competition of the five clubs re¬ 
presenting the Edinburgh United Clubs was held 
on Loch Leven the other day, when Mr. J. Gordon 
Mason, of the Amateur, took the first prize with 
thirteen trout, 111b. 9oz. 
Mr. Murray, of the Forsinard Hotel will not 
send us angling reports, yet I have managed to 
bear that on Friday last he had a splendid salmon 
on the Halladale river, which I should say I am 
right in guessing was got with his favourite fly, 
the Great Halladale Eagle, an invention of the 
McNicol’s. _ 
Lord Mash.am has been getting some nice sea- 
trout fishing, for about a week past, on the 
Carron, Wester Ross, near Achnashellach. 
Mr. H. Harden, London, the Piscatorial’s re¬ 
presentative, carried off the championship of the 
National Clubs on Loch Leven last w'eek, when 
forty-four competitors took part in the contest. 
Money, more or less considerable in amount, is 
attached to the prizes in this competition, and 
this surely, as in other sports, should cause the 
acceptors to be regarded as professionals after¬ 
wards. That is my view of it. Others may think 
differently. _ 
The Tweed is away to nothing, and its rod fish¬ 
ing for the present, for anything better than 
trooties, is at an utter standstill. Some say that 
there is not a single adult salmon in the whole of 
the river just now. 
De.yth of a Well-known Sportsman. — There 
died quite suddenly at Solway House, Annau, 
Mr. Maxwell P. Davidson, the first honorary 
huntsman of the Dumfriesshire otter hounds. 
]\rr. Davidson, who was so well known in the 
South of Scotland and on the Borders, was the 
means of establishing the Dumfriesshire otter 
hounds in conjunction with his brother, Mr. 
Wilson Davidson. About ten days before his 
death deceased was out hunting with the hounds 
and caught a chill, which subsequently developed 
into acute pleurisy. Despite the best medical 
skill and the care of a trained Edinburgh nurse, 
deceased succumbed to the disease. Mr. David¬ 
son was in the prime of life, being only forty-two 
years of age. His premature death caused wide¬ 
spread sorrow in the district. The funeral was 
attended by all the country gentlemen in the 
surrounding district. Mr. Wilson Davidson, 
honorary huntsman, continues still to hunt the 
hounds. 
AN APPENDIX TO THE LUNCHEON 
BASKET. 
Messrs. John Burgess have just brought out a 
very strong, neat, little basket, divided into com¬ 
partments to hold a pot of anchovy paste, another 
of bloater paste, three tins of different kinds of 
potted meats, a bottle of their M.M. sauce, and a 
strong knife for opening tins. At our request 
they have, had an illustration of it made, and we 
give it herewith. 
Anglers who are leaving home for some days 
on a fishing excursion will find this little basket 
and its contents most useful—the whole cost with 
with contents is only 6s. In any case, whether 
the basket is taken or not, we can, with confidence, 
based on personal experience, recommend most 
strongly the goods supplied by this house, 
especially their seven different preparations of 
anchovies, which are unequalled. 
Sir Walter Scott, in his novel “ St. Ronan’s 
Well,” must have added greatly to the reputation 
of this house, for in one place he says : 
“What the devil did he care for Burgess’s 
Sauce, he that had eat his kouscousou, spiced with 
nothing but the sand of the desert ? only it was a 
shame for Mrs. Dods to be without what every 
decent house, above the rank of an alehouse, 
ought to be largely provided with .”—Vide Sir 
Walter Scott’s “ St. Ronan’s Well,” chap. xvi. 
In another: 
“‘Never mind—never mind—I shall make no 
bad use of what I have learned,’ said Touchwood. 
‘ Were you to eat your words with the best fish 
sauce (and that is Burgess’s), I have got all the 
information from them I wanted.’”—Sir Walter 
Scott’s “ St. Ronan’s Well,” chap. xxx. 
The Bergen System. —We have received long 
letters from Mr. Beyer; as they are, however, 
merely recapitulations of his previous state¬ 
ments, and do not, in our opinion, explain the 
discrepancies between these statements and !Mr. 
Sturdy’s facts, we see no use in publishing them. 
We have placed them in the hands of a gentle¬ 
man well acquainted with all the facts of the 
case and the places referred to, and have asked 
him to make an impartial review of the whole 
matter. 
The Si'Eyside Trout Fishers’ Association, 
after full consideration of a bill to amend the law 
relating to rod fishing in Scotland, and on hearing 
a communication from Sir William Wedderburn, 
M.P. for Banffshire, on the subject; also a bill 
brought into Parliament in 1887 by Mr. L. Brown, 
late member for the Border Burghs, unanimously 
resolved to ask Sir William Wedderburn to intro¬ 
duce to the House of Commons a bill to amend 
the law relating to rod fishing in Scotland, on the 
lines and in the terms of the 1887 bill referred to.” 
Sir William Wedderburn continues to take great 
interest in the question, and probably he will 
secure the introduction of this measure and press 
it forward as fast as the limited opportunities now 
at the command of private members will admit of.. 
—J. M. 
