BAIT FOR SALMON. 97 



of most of the rivers which contain salmon, is, in our 

 humble opinion, decidedly unfavourable to the employ- 

 ment of big bright flies. Indeed, in many streams, unless 

 they are very much ruffled by heavy winds, the expe- 

 diency of using large brilliant flies may be safely ques- 

 tioned; and for this simple reason: if an angler look 

 steadily and attentively at a large fly when in the water, 

 he will discover that it does not lie evenly on it, so as to 

 preserve the shape of a natural fly ; the hook is too heavy 

 for the superstructure of feathers, and hence the fly rolls 

 about in a very awkward and unnatural manner. This, 

 it will be admitted, defeats the great end and object of 

 fly-fishing deception. 



The practice, however, in Ireland, is to use very large 

 and gaudy flies; and it is but natural to infer that the 

 general practice arises from a conviction of their utility. 

 O'Shaughnessy, of Limerick, manufactures those which 

 are most used and most esteemed. 



Mr. Hansard has recently published a work on " Trout 

 and Salmon Fishing in Wales," in which he recommends 

 the following flies for that particular country. 



FOE THE SPRING. " Wings dark brown mottled 

 feather of the bittern; body orange silk or worsted, 

 with broad gold twist; and a smoky dim hackle for legs." 



FOR SUMMER. " Wings the brown mottled feather 

 of a turkey-cock's wing, with a few of the green fibres 

 selected from the eye of a peacock's tail-feather; body 

 yellow silk and gold twist, with a deep blood-red hackle 

 for legs." 



Every fly-fisher who has visited Scotland in pursuit of 

 his favourite amusement, must have observed what an 

 immense variety of flies are commonly used, and with 

 almost equal success, by the numerous anglers who 



H 



