igo .ELIAN— FIRST ARTIFICIAL FLY 



seems to me to have been for a long time in more or less regular 

 use. The materials necessary or employed for dressing flies 

 are set forth in two other places by .Elian in this same work. 

 The Macedonian fly is described at length and in special detail, 

 probably because it marked an advance in making up a fly. 



I have not been able so far to find the passages in Bk. III. 

 43, and Bk. XV. lo, mentioned (except in Bliimner's general 

 list of fishing weapons under " Fischfang " i) or alluded to 

 in connection with fly-making, much less brought into the 

 prominence which their special pertinence of a surety deserves 

 and demands. 



This omission may be due to previous writers being content 

 with the authority and researches of Oliver and of Westwood 

 and Satchell, and on the line of least exertion not pursuing the 

 subject any further even in the pages of .Elian himself. If 

 they had so pursued, they would have discovered in the first 

 passage in Bk. XII. 43, which is separated by only three books, 

 and in the second passage in Bk. XV. 10, which is separated 

 by only nine chapters from the locus classicus in Bk. XV. i, 

 strong reasons for qualifying their statement as to the Mace- 

 donian " invention." 



In Bk. XII. 43, Fishing is divided into four kinds — by 

 Nets, Spears, Weels, and Hooks ; that by hooks {ayKmrpeia) 

 is adjudged " the most skilful, and the most becoming for free 

 men," that by Weels (KvpTtia) the least so. In each class 

 .Elian carefully enumerates the articles necessary or generally 

 used. 



The list of those necessary for fishing with hooks, or Angling, 

 recounts " natural horsehair, white, and black, and flame- 

 coloured, and half-grey ; but of the dyed hair, they select only 

 those that are grey, or of true sea-purple, for the rest, they 

 say, are pretty poor. They use, too, the straight bristles of 

 swine, and thread, and much copper and lead, and cords." 

 Now follow the important words — " and feathers, chiefly 

 white, or black, or various. They use two wools, red and blue." " 



1 Die romischen Privataltertiimer (Munich, igii), pp. 529-3°- 

 * Kal tTTtpols, /uoAiffTa ixiv \iVKo7s Kal ueKaaiv Kal ttoikiAou. xP'^*"'"'*' "V* M^" "' 

 a\it7s Koi <poivtKo7s ^plots Kal a\ovpyf(Ti, k.t.A. 



