JULY. 75 



aquatic flies are strong at hatching, and on seasonable days 

 soon out of the reach of the fish. The red drakes and the 

 duns come out numerous for evening and twilight fishing. 

 The bustard enters the month in full force, and may be fished 

 so long as she continues. In the early part of the season when 

 flies are few, fish rise freely and give good sport ; but, as the 

 vital heat of the sun keeps increasing so do the flies ; and 

 after the fish are fatted with the stone fly, green drake, 

 etc., the sport languishes, and July and August, the two 

 centre months, and most salubrious of the season, are gene- 

 rally considered the worst for flyfishing ; the variety of food 

 and easy circumstances of the fish, lessen the chance of suc- 

 cess, and require the flyfisher to be more particular and 

 nearer the mark than in the spring. Good imitations of 

 the favorite flies, fished naturally at their time of hatching, 

 can only keep pace with the choice of the fish, and on 

 healthsome cool breezy days, which whet up their appetites, 

 the flyfisher may have good sport. 



AUGUST. 



THE lofty swift prunes her wing for departure, first index 

 to a change. No longer do sportive swarms of flies feed 

 her in her airy tracks. Numbers of tiny tribes now end 

 their summer trip ; and less and less are the numbers that 

 succeed ; but still the waters, the storehouses of the angler, 

 pour forth daily supplies. "All's fish that comes to the 

 net." Trout, grayling, and smelt ! how beautiful to the 

 flyfisher as he dishes them from his pannier. The full-ripe 

 trout feeds secure at the bottom, or with majestic caution 

 rises scrupulous at the well scanned fly ; or like the mon- 

 arch of the wood, " fleshes his tooth " in his nightly prowls. 

 G 



