MARCH. 17 



still, sol's charioteer drives on, animating and restoring 

 with new life, and often 



Trout rise voracious in the wild March day, 

 And hungry homer in the snow storms prey ; 

 Smelt sports in his prime, his second winter past ; 

 Flies follow flies in thick succession fast ; 

 Nature revives ; animation crowds the land ; 

 And the sport lengthens as the days expand. 



TTH. THE EARLY DUN. Full length from three-eighths 

 to half an inch ; length, one-fourth and one-sixteenth ; 

 feelers, three-eighths ; the closed wings are brown, of the 

 cinnamon cast, which, with the head, are laid and fringed 

 with a fine down, which glistens in the sun with coppery 

 and gilded reflections ; there are some with lighter marks or 

 staddles, on the top parts of the wings, and light spots 

 round the end. The body is a copper bottom, tinged on 

 the back and belly with light purple or blue dun, leaving a 

 line of lighter on each side, which is characteristic of most 

 of the duns ; legs, a light reddish brown dim transparency. 

 They hatch the beginning of this month ; and are out in 

 the afternoon and evenings of warm days their eggs are a 

 cream color. 



Winged with slips from a feather from an old bronzed 

 brown hen, or selected from the brown owl ; legged with a 

 few fibres of gingery squirrel's fur or mohair \ body, copper 

 colored silk, tinged with water-rat's blue fur. 



8TH. BLUE DRAKE 5 (blue dun). Length, near three- 



(5) Few of the aquatic insects bear a higher reputation among anglers than 

 this fly, which is found upon almost every river in England ; it is called by a variety 

 of names, according to the district, the "Blue Dun," or the "Blue Upright," being 

 perhaps the most general title for it. It varies much in shade of colour, according 

 to the weather, and therefore three or four different patterns should be kept in the 

 fly book ; Jackson styles it the " Olive Bloa," and in practice I have generally found 

 either his pattern or else that given by Mr. Francis in his Book on Angling the best 

 to depend on ; nearly all the patterns of this fly that are sold in the shops are far too 

 rough in the body, which is in reality smooth, and ringed in alternate shades of dark 

 and light olive. Mr. Cummins, the well-known practical angler, of Bishop Auck- 

 land, dresses a pattern which he calls the " Blue Dun Spider," intended to represent 

 a drowned fly, and on cold windy days in early spring it answers admirably, as I can 

 testify to from experience. 



