THE SYSTEM OF ARTIFICIAL FLIES. 73 
and reeds of the waters over which they afterwards fly. 
To the first-named family belong, roughly speaking, the 
whole collection of the “duns,” and “spinners,’—the 
drakes, or May-flies, the dark mackerel, the sand-fly, and 
the March brown; whilst the latter includes the cinna- 
mon, the grannom or green-fly, the willow-fly, and, 
more important than any, the stone-fly, or “water 
cricket,” which in the early part of the year is so plenti- 
ful on many rivers. From these two great families, in 
fact, some of which are on the water every day of the 
year, fully three-fourths of the contents of most fly- 
books will be found to consist ; they therefore commend 
themselves as the families from which our typical flies 
should be made. 
As regards form or shape no question can arise, as the 
selected families are all unmistakably and characteristi- 
cally jizes, in the proper sense of the term, having wings, 
legs, and, I think without an exception, “ whisks,” or 
hair-like appendages at the tail. These whisks are not 
only very “fly-like” and distinctive features, but are 
also easily imitated, and assist materially to disguise the 
hook, as well as to make the fly swim straight. This 
last is an important point, as the effect of the extra 
weight at the bend of the hook, unless counteracted by 
some additional “float,” is to make the fly swim tail 
downwards. 
The great majority of the most favourite river flies 
belong to the order Neuropiera, or nerve-winged insects, 
