54 FLY FISHING. 



of the two fore feet of flies of this description, which it seems they 

 only employ as arms, never making use of them in walking 

 or to rest upon, but usually projecting them forward in a kind of 

 praying attitude before their heads, which forms so distinguishing 

 a feature in the general character of insects of this kind, that un- 

 less this effect can be produced, the imitation can never be a close 

 one. 



The best dubbing for the body of the blue dun is that pointed 

 out by Cotton, in his Supplement to Walton's Complete Angler, 

 which is the combings of the neck of a black grey hound, extracted 

 by a small tooth comb, which will adhere to the teeth of the in- 

 strument, and in some black dogs, for it is not universally the 

 case, will produce the proper ash colour. If this cannot be pro- 

 cured the bluest fur ot the root of a squirrell's tail will answer the 

 purpose. In either case the dubbing should be warped on slate 

 coloured silk, and ribbed pretty closely with some of the same 

 material of a pale straw colour : the body must be slender ; the 

 whisks should be short, and made of two herls of the tail feather 

 of a hen pheasant. It should be hackled with a mottled feather of 

 a golden plover, and the wings, which should be tied a little way 

 back, should be of a starling's feather dyed of a dun colour, which 

 may easily be accomplished by boiling the feathers about a quarter 

 of an hour in an infusion made by steeping the outer leaves of an 

 onion, with a piece of allum about the size of a nutmeg, in warm 

 water, and keeping it just simmering for a few hours, after which 

 the solution may be always kept ready for use. The wings should 

 stand upright like those of a butterfly. 



The red spinner is made of the same form as the last, only the 

 whisks of the tail, which must be of a bold red cock's hackle, 

 should be about twice the length. The dabbing should be of dark 

 brown sable fur, warped on silk of the same colour, and ribbed 

 with fine yellow silk ; with a pale red hackle under the wings, the 

 latter being of the quill feather of a partridge, and to stand upright 

 as in the blue dun. If the fly is trimmed very small, a blue 

 hackle may be substituted for the red, and the partridge feather 

 wing altogether omitted. 



The dun drake should have a body of light brown bear's hair, 

 spun on and warped with light brown, and ribbed with yellow silk, 

 having a slight greenish cast ; the whisks short, of a hen phea- 

 sant's tail. The feather of a golden plover should be wound on by 



