ARTIFICIAL FLIES. 115 



The Ant Flies. Largish head, thick shoulders, small 

 waist, plump oval body, thickness of the shoulders, and 

 near or about half the length of the fly. Wing on each side 

 of top of shoulder, to slant upwards and from the body ; 

 leg at the breast. May be hackled over top of shoulder, 

 and trimmed for legs. 



The colors, shades, and reflections of the natural flies 

 must be imitated, as well as their sizes and shapes. Defects 

 in any of these lead to disappointment. Books are imper- 

 fect guides to colors and shades. To pursue the art to its 

 best perfection, it is necessary to take the first steps. The 

 materials for an artificial fly should be compared and 

 matched with the natural one, by the eye and judgment of 

 the flyfisher. The top and under side of feathers, for wings, 

 must resemble, and the transparent tinge, with any marks 

 or freckles, must match that of the natural fly. Take the 

 dead fly on a needle point, and compare it with the arti- 

 ficial materials. Match the wings with the feather ; the 

 body with silk ; legs with hair, etc. Hold them together, 

 side by side, up to the light and in the sunshine, and look 

 through them as we may suppose the fish do, turning them 

 into different positions in order to catch their foundation 

 colors, with their tinges, reflections, and hues. This gives 

 the flyfisher a grounded knowledge of the natural flies ; and 

 the materials once selected and proved, become familiar in 

 his mind and items in his book, with which he can after- 

 wards picture life with but little trouble, and fish his flies 

 with the greatest confidence. 



Feathers for wings must be small fibred, close and thin, 

 of silky surface and transparent texture, that will least 

 shrink or change color on the water. Fine old glossy birds, 

 about Christmas, produce the best. The length of the 

 wings of the fly gives the length of the fibres of the feather. 

 The olden craft selected the barred feathers from the inside 

 and outside of woodcock wings, for the barred wings of the 



