114 TROUT FISHING 



toothsome appearance — a thoroughly unscientific 

 reason ! 



As a general rule I am not much impressed by any 

 tendency in trout to be over particular as to shades 

 of colour. The ginger quill and Halford's female 

 olive are not a bit alike in colour, but the latter 

 seems to me to do the work which used to be done 

 by the former. And I think a light hare's ear would 

 probably serve me just as well. But — and this 

 prevents me being a hearty sceptic as to the colour 

 question — I certainly sometimes find the fish inclined 

 to pick and choose. Especially is this the case in 

 the evening when the blue-winged olive is on. 

 Several times I have proved that the trout would 

 take Halford's blue- winged olive, the female, when 

 they would have nothing to do with any other pattern 

 I offered them. And I presume that the colour 

 has been responsible for this, though it is marvellous 

 that subtle distinctions, as between that fly and an 

 ordinary dark blue quill or blue dun, should be 

 perceptible to them in the dusk. But, to show 

 how one's mind wobbles in these matters, I had 

 just made it up to the effect that Halford's female 

 blue-winged olive was the fly, when, as previously 

 recorded, Mr. Skues introduced me to the orange 

 quill on quite a big hook — No. 2, I think. This fly 

 immediately ousted the other in my affections, 



