A GREAT AND GENERAL RULE LAID DOWN. 73 



brilliant claret bodies, kill well in the Bann, 

 north of Ireland, whilst in the south, as in the 

 Lee, near Cork, blue or ash-coloured bodies are 

 the best. All sorts of diversities exist, from the 

 dingy-looking Welsh fly to the silver-laced one of 

 the Shin. As I intimated before, I wish it were 

 not so, for then I should be saved much trouble 

 and embarrassment. But as it is not, and as 

 salmon are great admirers of a variety of costumes, 

 I felt it my duty to cater far and near for their 

 varying and fanciful fastidiousness. Hence I 

 have considered it necessary to cut out patterns 

 such as I have known or heard to be extremely 

 in vogue amongst the aristocratic denizens of every 

 decent river in the empire. 



I beg the reader to bear in mind that whenever 

 I describe a favourite, a good, or a general fly, I 

 append to my description a note of recommend- 

 ation. I also solicit attention to this great rule 

 — that large gaudy flies suit only deep and some- 

 what turbid waters, and that small, sombre-hued 

 flies are fittest for low and clear water. Flies of 

 medium size and mediocre brilliancy of colours are 

 appropriate for water moderately deep and mode- 

 rately limpid; and, above all, I tell him who 

 would successfully angle for salmon, that the 

 weather-glass must be his chief guide. With mer- 



