Trout Flies, 135 



Then round the hook the chosen fur he winds, 

 And on the back a speckled feather binds. 

 So just the colours shine thro' every part, 

 That nature seems to live again in art." 



Gay, " Rural Sports^ 



|HUS wrote Gay on the art of making 

 artificial flies in 1775, and so we con- 

 tinue to follow as close an imitation 

 of nature as skilful hands can frame. 

 Izaak Walton was satisfied with twelve flies ; but 

 it must always be borne in mind that he was more 

 addicted to the float than the fly. The two first 

 he names are varieties of the March Brown ; the 

 third is the Stone fly ; the fourth is the Ruddy 

 fly, a kind of Red Spinner ; the fifth the Yellow 

 or Greenish fly for May ; the sixth, the Black fly ; 

 the seventh, Sad Yellow fly for June ; the eighth, 

 Moorish fly ; the ninth, the Tawny fly ; the tenth, 

 Wasp fly for July ; the eleventh. Shell fly ; the 

 twelfth, Dark Blue fly ; " and there you have a jury 

 of flies likely to betray and condemn all the trout 

 in the river." Besides these he gives the May fly 

 and the Oak or Downhill fly. He then quotes 

 Barker as to the Palmers : 



" A brother of the angle must always be sped, 

 With three Black Palmers and also two Red." 



