THE COW-DUNG FLY. 55 



may be made from the spotted tail feathers of a 

 young partridge. For the body, use the dark fur 

 which has yellow tips from a hare's ear, and tie 

 it on with reddish buff silk ; if you are inclined to 

 use a hackle for legs, let it be a dun cock's, or a 

 small partridge's feather. As the fly grows lighter, 

 alter the body, and use the yellow buff fur from 

 a hare's ear, tied with pale yellow ; and let the 

 hackle be a light dun with yellow edges, or a dull 

 ginger one. There is also some part of a wood- 

 cock's feathers which match the wings of this fly 

 excellently well ; and we have likewise made them 

 from a speckled hen's feather. 



THE COW-DUNG FLY. 

 SEASON. March and April. 



Natural. It is needless to give a description of 

 an insect so well known, as it is ajways found on 

 the cow-plats in the fields, from February to No- 

 vember. I shall only observe, it is the female (which 

 is smaller, and of a more green cast, than the male), 

 that most frequents the water, in the cool windy 

 days, from the end of February till the end of 

 April. They are not seen in any great numbers, 

 on the water, at once ; but if you perceive one or 

 two, and no other fly, then is the time for the 



Artificial. Take one of the dun feathers, tipped 

 with yellow, out of the wing of a golden plover, 

 wind it round the top of the hook, like a hackle, 

 E 4 



