THE BALLYSHANNON DESCRIBED. 131 



hackles, dyed yellow and orange ; blue jay at 

 shoulder, and underneath it a cock of the rock 

 feather, wound round the throttle. Wings, half- 

 a-dozen middle-sized toppings, mixed with mallard 

 and blue macaw, and on each side of the wings a 

 jungle-cock feather ; dark blue head and the 

 usual feelers. Hook, No. 6 and 7. 



These four patterns are, to my mind, perfec- 

 tion. Flies dressed after them will be of medium 

 size, tending to small. They will kill in any 

 water in the world, wherein salmon are tempted 

 by brilliant colours, variegated and subdued by an 

 admixture of hues, whose rich beauty surpasses 

 that of splendid gaudiness. 



The Ballyshannon, or Erne river, is between 

 three and four miles in length, fed by Loch Erne, 

 and runs into the bay of Donegal, or into the 

 Atlantic thereabouts. There are few rivers in 

 the empire equal to it for the purposes of salmon- 

 angling. It is delightfully situated, and in its 

 vicinity anglers can procure every requisite ac- 

 commodation. The proprietor of it is liberal, 

 and will allow any gentleman of known respect- 

 ability to fly-fish in it for a reasonable period. 

 It is, unquestionably, the best river in the north 

 of Ireland. 



