RIVER FISH AND FISHING. 395 



imitating the consistence and softness of the original, and 

 consequently do not take nearly so well as their appear- 

 ance would lead one to expect. The Archimedian minnow 

 spins beautifully, and so do some others constructed on 

 similar principles, and all will take good fish, but certainly 

 not so well as the real minnow. In many localities, how- 

 ever, these are very scarce, and there the substitute is 

 certainly useful. Mr. Flinn's flexible minnows are far 

 the best, as they are soft and yielding to the grasp of 

 the fish; they are made of gutta percha, painted very 

 closely in imitation of the minnow, gudgeon, &c., and are 

 of sizes suited to all fish, from the trout to the salmon. 

 The Archimedian, on the other hand, is hard and inflexi- 

 ble, and though it spins well, and is to the eye all that can 

 be desired, yet from its hardness to the touch it is very 

 apt to deter fish from a close approach, and is not so suc- 

 cessful as Mr. Flinn's imitation. Mr. Blacker, also, has 

 recently introduced a modification of the " devil-bait," 

 with the addition of a pair of Archimedian fins ; this is 

 said to spin well, and to take good fish, but I know noth- 

 ing personally of its properties. 



Artificial flies are so numerous, and their importance 

 is so great, that a great part of the angler's time is gener- 

 ally occupied in mastering a knowledge of their various 

 forms, and the mode of tying them. All of them are 

 composed of three essential parts : first, the hook ; second, 

 the gut or loop to attach the hook to the line ; and third, 

 the various articles tied on the hook for the purpose of 

 imitating the natural fly. The angler will have no diffi- 

 culty in procuring his hooks and gut, both of which, how- 



