TROUT-FLIES. 9I 



tightly between the finger and thumb ; by this means 

 the wax is almost removed from two sides of the silk^ 

 and massed on the other two sides, producing a mottled 

 yellowy-brown appearance in the fly somewhat like that 

 seen in the March brown and other principal brown 

 varieties, as the stone-fly, great and lesser red spinner, 

 dark mackerel, &c., which are mottled with yellow or 

 orange ribbings. The yellow and orange flies, on the con- 

 trary, as the cinnamon, yellow sally, fern, sand, and cow- 

 dung fly, are all either plain yellows or oranges, or if 

 ribbed at all are ribbed with different tints of the same 

 colours. The oak-fly is an exception. 



With regard to the heads of flies, these can, on the 

 above principle of tying, be made almost microscopic 

 without any sacrifice of strength ; but I advise the 

 angler, notwithstanding, to have them dressed large. 

 The heads of Trout-flies are usually made much toa 

 small — much smaller, that is, than they are in nature, 

 and smaller therefore than is desirable ; because it should 

 be the aim of the fly-tyer rather to exaggerate than to 

 diminish in the artificial imitation all the prominent 

 features of the natural insect, so that on a quick glimpse 

 the resemblance may be unmistakeable;. This last obser- 

 vation applies also to the "whisks" or tails, in exaggerating 

 which there is an additional advantage, inasmuch as the 

 larger the whisk the better and straighter will the fly swim. 



The following is the formulary for the three typical 

 flies described : — 



