THE YOUNG ANGLEE. 277 



^X^he palmer is a roost killing bait during the 

 summer, and its body should be made to resemble 

 a hairy caterpillar, with black spaniel's fur on the 

 harl of an ostrich feather, wrapped over with a 

 red hackle from a game cock. The wasp fly, 

 made of brown dubbing or the hair of a black cat's 

 tail ribbed with yellow silk, is an excellent fly 

 during the month of July; and about the same 

 time the orange fly is in vogue, its wings are made of a feather from 

 a blackbird's wing, and its body of orange- coloured crewel or wool. 

 The whirling blue makes its appearance in August, and is a good 

 bait till the end of the season ; its wings must be made of a feather 

 from a common tern, its body of light blue fur mingled with a little 

 yellow fur, and its legs of a light blue hackle. 



The whirling dun is also a summer fly, and 

 its wings are made of a snipe's feather, its body 

 of blue fur wrapped with yellow silk, its legs of 

 a blue cock's hackle, and its tail of two hairs 

 from a light coloured muff. The late badger-fly 

 is also serviceable in August ; it is made of black 

 badger's hair whipped with red silk, and winged with a darkish grey 

 mallard's feather. Imitations of the house and blue- bottle flies are 

 taken greedily in August' ; they are also particularly killing after flood? 

 in autumn. The willow fly appears in September, and is the best bait 

 during that month and the remainder of the season ; its body must 

 be made of blue squirrel's fur, with a little yellow mohair inter- 

 mixed, and its wings of a dark grizzled cock's hackle. 



Our limits compel us to close this brief sketch of artificial fly- 

 making, for were we to describe the way to manufacture every fly at 

 which a fish will rise, our labours would be almost interminable ; it 

 would be also an unnecessary task, as the same methods, varied 

 only as to colour and material, answer for every kind of fly ; and if 

 the young angler can fabricate those we have endeavoured to describe, 

 he can certainly imitate any other he may chance to require. 



CASTING THE LINE. 



The single rod for artificial fly-fishing should be from eleven to 

 thirteen feet long, light and flexible, and one which you can wield 

 with ease. Raise your arm, and swing the rod back, without effort, 

 eo as almost to describe a circle round your head, and when the line 

 has reached its full extent behind you, throw it forwards, taking 

 great care in the movement, else when you have a fly on the line 

 you may, perchance, jerk it off, particularly if you attempt to make 

 the forward move ere the line has reached its full circuit. In order 

 to acquire a good style of throwing, and a correct eye for measuring 

 distances, it it proper to practise at first at a short length only, 

 without a fly on the line, and when you can throw to a moderate 

 range with a tolerable degree of certainty, one fly may be put ou, 

 and practised with awhile; and as still further expertness is gained, 

 two or three may be employed; it is also a good plan to fish in rapid 



