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large flies, and the stone -fly, the May-fly, and 

 even moths, are greedily taken in the summer 

 by large fish of this species. Flies, likewise, 

 that do not inhabit the water, but are blown 

 from the land, are likewise good baits for 

 grayling. There is no method more killing, 

 for large grayling, than applying a grasshopper 

 to the point of a leaded hook, the lead and 

 shank of which are covered with green and 

 yellow silk, to imitate the body of the animal. 

 This mode of fishing is called sinking and 

 drawing. We have seen it practised with as 

 much success as maggot-fishing ; and the fish 

 taken were all of the largest size ; the method 

 being most successful in deep holes, where the 

 bottom was not visible, which are the natural 

 haunts of such fish. In the very depth of win- 

 ter grayling rise for an hour or two, in bright 

 and tolerably warm weather ; and at this time, 

 the smallest imitations of black or pale gnats 

 that can be made, on the smallest-sized hook, 

 succeed best in taking them. In March the 

 dark-bodied willow-fly may be regarded as the 

 earliest fly; the imitation of which is made by 

 dark-claret dubbing and a dun-hackle, or short 

 fibres from the starling's feather for wings. 

 This fly has four small wings, and we have seen 

 it on the water early in the cold. March of the 



very backward and bleak spring of the present 

 K 5 



