HOW TO TIE FLIES. 



call it. It is extremely plentiful, and there is 

 scarcely a feather on its body that is not of use. 

 Its wings are of a warmish dun shade, and vary 

 a good deal, according to the age of the bird. 

 Those of a young specimen are of a peculiar 

 shade of bluish dun,, run into brown, and edged 

 with yellow, while those of the oldest birds have 

 a distinct shade of red on the outer side. 



Feathers of a reddish shade are also supplied 

 by the water-rail and land-rail (corncrake) ; the 

 red is more pronounced in the land-raiFs feathers. 

 Dark cinnamon wings may be imitated with 

 the underneath tail feathers of the common 

 partridge. 



The wing feathers of the thrush and redwing 

 (called "felt'* in Ireland) are of a rich tawny 

 olive brown, running into a bright tawny 

 yellow towards the edge and root end of the 

 secondaries. 



For iron blue wings the tail feathers of the 

 torn-tit are generally used. Tail feathers of the 

 merlin hawk have been strongly recommended by 

 the late Mr. John Beever (" Arundo"). I have 

 never possessed any myself, so I cannot speak of 

 them from experience. Breast feathers of the 

 coot and water-rail are good as to colour, but are 

 coarse and soft. The various members of the 

 swallow family swifts, martins, &c. all supply 

 nice wings, with clearly defined edges. They are, 

 for the most part, of a dark dun or blackish-brown 

 colour. Feathers of the darkest shades of this 

 colour are also to be had from the waterhen and 

 hen blackbird. For mottled wings, we have the 

 wing and tail feathers of the woodcock, which are 

 of a dingy brown colour, splashed at the edge 

 with blotches of tan. The wing and tail feathers 

 of the brown owl are of a very dark dun shade, 

 almost black, at the roots, dovetailed into white 

 at the edge. 



