AMERICAN TROUT-STREAM INSECTS 



Another desirable change, still more important, 

 is to tie all drakes' wings close together instead of 

 outspread — a most unnatural attitude which the in- 

 sect never assumes, and only introduced in later 

 years by dry fly experts in order to assist the fly in 

 floating. With the aid of oil the fly will float just 

 as well with closed wings as with wings outspread. 



One of the most remarkable and peculiar features 

 in all drakes is the way they cock their tails upward 

 from the body. In order to imitate this feature 

 successfully it is necessary to have what is called a 

 "detached" body: viz., with the tail made separate 

 from the hook and slightly curved upward. There 

 are a few English flies tied in this way; but I have 

 not seen any detached bodies on what may be called 

 strictly American flies. The detached-body fly I 

 have found far ahead of the fly with the body tied 

 round the hook : that is, if intended to represent the 

 drake class. For that reason I have tied all my 

 drakes with detached bodies. 



Still another change for the better is to tie the 

 numerous class of duns with wings sloping down 

 over the body like the natural insect. There are 

 many hundreds of these aquatic insects which, after 

 alighting on the water's surface, rest with the wings 

 lapping over the covering of the body ; which is ex- 

 actly opposite to the raised wings of commercial 

 flies. 



It will therefore be seen that the two principal 



