SUMMER. 55 



than to kneel warily amongst the flowering comfrey, 

 meadow svv^eet, willow herb, and loosestrife, and mark a 

 rising trout close under the rank sedges fringing yonder 

 bank. The artificial sedge fly, with its artistic ribbing, 

 though not made expressly to float, is capital for dry-fly 

 fishing, and all things being favourable there is no more 

 telling way of adding to the contents of your basket than 

 by finishing up a day's fishing in laying siege to that fish 

 till he capitulates. 



Then in August the red and black ant come in, and all 

 through the summer three specific flies should never be 

 out of the angler's book, to wit the Wickham, Hoflands, 

 and the Francis Francis Fancies. During the past season 

 I was introduced by my friend Mr. Marston to a new fly, 

 new at least to me, the wings of which are made of pike 

 scales. It is manufactured by McNee of Pitlochrie, and 

 I have found it answer, and seen it answer, when the trout 

 allowed every other kind of fly to pass by unheeded. The 

 theory is that the pike scale, when it becomes wet, has the 

 unctuous appearance of a gelatinous wing, and it may be 

 so. At any rate, on streams as opposite in their character 

 as the Chatsworth Derwent, the Little Stour in Kent, and 

 the Lambourne in Berkshire, I have reason to be thankful 

 that this addition to our list of flies was made known to 

 me. It is certainly worth a trial. 



Loch fishing is a fashionable and essential item of the 

 general summer programme, and on Loch Leven the club 

 competitions for which the lake is celebrated are decided. 

 It is truly astonishing that the trout in this lake show no 

 signs of diminution, for although careful restocking is 

 attended to, there is no more thoroughly thrashed water 

 in Scotland ; and amongst the gentlemen who make such 

 pleasant parties in the boats you generally find one who 



