SENSES OF FISHES. 21 



With respect to artificial flies, the most conspicuous 

 colours and such as contrast best with the water, are to 

 be preferred, and for this purpose, light colours in the 

 dusk of morning or evening, and dark colours in clear 

 water and bright weather, are to be preferred. The 

 metallic lustre of peacocks' feathers, and even gold and 

 silver thread, become in this way useful in dressing 

 flies, though there be nothing like them in natural flies ; 

 and we shall see in a subsequent page the principle 

 upon which this is founded. 



The colour of the line to which the hooks are im- 

 mediately attached, ought for a similar reason, to be as 

 near as possible to the colour of the water ; and though 

 white horse hair or gut is most commonly used, this 

 is frequently stained pale blue, greenish, or brown, to 

 match the colour of the water to be angled in. The 

 following methods are recommended for this purpose, 

 though they are certainly not very scientific. 



For a pale watery green. To a pint of strong ale 

 add half a pound of soot, a small quantity of walnut 

 leaves, and a little powdered alum ; boil these materials 

 for half or three quarters of an hour, and when the 

 mixture is cold, steep the gut or hair in it for ten or 

 twelve hours. 



For a brown. Boil some powdered alum till it is 

 dissolved ; add a pound of walnut tree bark, from the 

 branches when the sap is in them, or from the buds, 

 or the unripe fruit. Let the liquid stand till nearly 

 cool, and skim it ; then put in the gut or hair, and 

 stir it round for about a minute, or till it appears to 

 have imbibed the desired tint. It ought not to be very 



