DRY-FLY MEDITATIONS 95 



would at once see that the owner of this fly-box (i) does 

 not use the red spinner much, because eleven of the 

 original dozen still remain (the deduction is true, but I 

 have an idea that there are more red spinners hidden 

 away in other compartments) ; (2) is not an angler of 

 undeviating method ; (3) has most recently fished for 

 grayling ; and (4) is addicted to chub-fishing, this last 

 being proved by the bluebottle. Doubtless the great 

 detective would get other evidence which is hidden 

 from me, but the points mentioned are enough to 

 emphasize a moral or two. 



In this one compartment have been found twelve 

 patterns, one pattern from each of the small compart- 

 ments, according to the theory of the box ; the big 

 compartment was intended by the original scheme for 

 big red sedges, thus completing an outfit of thirteen 

 patterns, which ought to be enough for anyone. But 

 the scheme has gone agley. There are no big red 

 sedges (they have now acquired a box to themselves, 

 which they share with one spent gnat, two Wickhams, 

 and a roach-hook tied on sorrel hair). But their place 

 is filled with some heterogeneous dozens, among which 

 I note hawthorns, red quills with gilt tails, a yellow 

 dun, black gnats, a Greenwell's glory, a disreputable 

 Coachman, and a little Marryat. There are other 

 patterns in the other compartments ginger quills, 

 March browns, blue duns, etc., in a confused tangle 

 with some already mentioned and with others whose 

 names I do not even know, if they have names at all 

 they do not look like it. Thus there must be at least 

 thirty patterns in a box designed to hold thirteen, and, 

 taking the more numerous with the less, there must be 



