PREFACE 



seasons, in which the insect studies of this book have 

 been in preparation, the author well understands 

 why the subject has not been treated heretofore in 

 America. No artist could do it properly unless he 

 were an angler of wide experience, with an infinite 

 love of his subject, and willing to devote ample time 

 to the work. He must be present on the streams 

 nearly all the summer; and he must be prepared 

 to forego much pleasure in the pursuit of his fa- 

 vorite sport — it so often happens trout are rising 

 to the very flies which must needs be captured. No 

 angler could do it unless he were an artist ; and no 

 artist unless he were an angler; it must be a com- 

 bination of both. 



The difficulty in catching, uninjured, these most 

 fragile insect specimens, in keeping them alive in 

 a wire cage long enough to paint them in colors 

 true to the living fly (when dead, their beautiful 

 color instantly fades), is an undertaking my 

 brother anglers would scarcely believe. Most of 

 the insects must, of necessity, be captured at eve- 

 ning — very often miles away from home. It is im- 

 perative that the captives be kept over night in 

 the open air ; and in the morning many of the most 

 delicate are either dead or so greatly injured as to 

 be useless. Then the hunt for them must be gone 

 all over again. Nearly every specimen has to be 

 painted by the aid of a magnif ying-glass ; and the 

 most fragile are the most restless. To stick a pin 



