86 THE GOLDFINCH AND BRITANNIA. 



autumn water in the Shannon. It is a grace- 

 ful model of a gaudy fly, simple in its brilliancy. 

 It will kill well at Ballyshannon, and in most 

 rivers of dull mornings and evenings. It is too 

 bright for clear shallow water. It is a standard 

 fly for grilse-fishing in the Shannon. It is made 

 thus: Body, gold-coloured floss silk; black silk 

 tag, tipped with gold tinsel; ginger-hackle and 

 gold tinsel over body ; blue jay at the shoulder, 

 and kingfisher over the butts of the wings, which 

 are to consist of eight or nine golden pheasant 

 toppings of middling size. They should project 

 by half an inch beyond the extreme bend of the 

 hook. Feelers, red macaw ; head, black ostrich ; 

 tail, golden pheasant topping. Hook, No. 5. and 6. 



This fly may be advantageously varied, thus : 

 Black floss silk for body; tag, gold colour, tin- 

 sel and hackle as before; no blue jay or kingfisher's 

 feather, and head light puce fur. By dressing it 

 in this manner it will not be so gaudy as before. 



No. 2. The Britannia. — Body, orange pig's 

 hair, ribbed with gold and silver twist ; tag, black 

 ostrich harl ; over the body a scarlet or blood-red 

 hackle, and a purple one at and above the shoulder ; 

 two toppings for tail ; wings, two shovel-duck 

 featliers, four toppings, a blue chatterer's feather 

 each side, and outside and a little under them 



