EVOLUTION OF THE TROUT FLY. 175 



taken from right and left-hand feathers. Nor 

 did they give any particular set to the wings of 

 flat-winged flies, such as Stoneflies or Alders, 

 but apparently tied them on at the same angle 

 as those of Olive Duns. In this indeed their 

 successors did little better, for the Alders and 

 Sedges in Halford's first book have practically 

 upright wings, and so they have in tackle shops 

 to-day. It is extremely difficult to get Alders 

 with wings tied at the proper penthouse angle, 

 in spite of Mr. Walker's valuable book. 



The common way of dressing during the 

 eighteenth century also was reverse winged. 

 Bowlker gives it in 1747, and Bowlker was the 

 standard authority for over a century. Indeed 

 there was little change before the middle of the 

 nineteenth century. It is of interest to com- 

 pare the directions in Barker, Venables and 

 Cotton with those in Blacker, two centuries 

 later. I am referring to Blacker's third book, 

 the Art of Fly -Making (1855). In it he gives 

 the reverse winged fly as the first and easiest 

 pattern; all his directions are very like the 

 earlier writers, with the important difference 

 that his wings were made of two slips. He 

 also gives directions how to wing the other 

 way; but anyone reading the two accounts 

 together will not find much difference. 

 Ronalds, however, and Stewart, and I think 

 most nineteenth century dressers before dry fly 

 days, tied on the wings so as to face the bend 

 of the hook. 



